22 Jul 2025 | by Dr. Sanan
The proliferation of hand-held devices such as cellphones and tablets has radically changed our lives, mostly for the better. However, a potential downside to this kind of immediate access to the world wide web is that most of us spend way more time looking down than our parents did. Since the human body wasn’t designed to constantly stare at our feet, this 21st century posture places considerably more stress on the skin and tissues of your neck. This may make it appear older than your years. Marketing teams have even coined a term for this phenomenon — tech neck. To add salt to the wound, not only is our technology potentially causing increased aging in our neck, but we’re also constantly seeing our reflection in Zoom meetings or selfies. This helps to explain why I’ve seen such a huge uptick in my Boston area offices of younger and younger patients coming in to discuss neck rejuvenation. But is a neck lift the best procedure for tech neck? It’s always going to depend on the patient.
Neck Lift Consultation is a Must
A patient’s ability to have immediate access to information on any aesthetic procedure has been a positive thing in my practice. Education is critical for understanding what can be done to improve the things that may bother you about your appearance. But the web is not discerning. It does not know you. It does not know your body. And for any procedure to be effective, it must be the right match for your unique anatomy, needs and desired outcome. Scheduling an in-person consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon, such as myself, is the best way to determine whether or not a neck lift may be right for your tech neck issues.
During our meeting, I will listen attentively to what bothers you about your appearance. It is common for someone who does not know anatomy to think that the underlying cause of their body dissatisfaction is due to X when it’s actually something else entirely. I will perform a thorough physical exam to assess:
- Degree and location of loose skin
- Muscle laxity
- Areas of excess fat, if any
- Skin texture
Together, we will go over the ideal procedure to improve your tech neck.
Benefits of a Deep Plane Neck Lift to Improve Tech Neck in Boston
As mentioned, the posture that most of us adopt to check in with our technology is not ideal for maintaining a supple, youthful looking neck. Tech neck can manifest aesthetically in a number of ways including:
- Horizontal wrinkles in the front of the neck
- Sagging folds of skin around the neck
- Loss of definition at the jawline
- Pronounced vertical platysma muscles
Some younger patients who only exhibit mild to moderate symptoms may be able to improve their appearance with an appropriately placed neurotoxin such as Botox®. However, anyone with more moderate to severe skin and muscle laxity will probably be better served with a neck lift as it allows me to address all of the underlying contributing factors to the aged appearance of your neck at once. I practice a deep plane neck lift as I find this cutting-edge technology to produce the most elegant, natural looking result.
Benefits of a deep plane neck lift include:
- One and done procedure
- Lift & excise loose skin to improve horizontal wrinkles
- Tighten muscle laxity
- Create a clean, defined chin/neck juncture
- Remove pockets of excess fat, if any
Ideal Patient for a Neck Lift
The ideal patient for a deep plane neck lift is any man or woman who is in:
- Good overall health
- Within 10 lbs. of a maintainable goal weight
- Willing to embrace necessary downtime
A deep plane neck lift is a surgical procedure and it will require downtime for recovery. This time is a critical component of the excellent result that we both want so it is important that you follow all of your post-op instructions carefully. I will be very honest in our initial consultation and subsequent pre-op meetings about what you can expect during and after your neck lift. While every patient’s healing journey is personal based on lifestyle choices and genetics, you can generally expect swelling and possibly some bruising for the first week. You may even be in a compression garment. Patients can typically return to most normal activities after a week, but please refrain from any intense exercise until I give you the go ahead. I encourage my patients to use their downtime to retrain their tech posture. You want to bring the phone or tablet to eye level, not the other way around, whenever possible in order to keep your rejuvenated neck looking lifted, supple and strong.
To find out more about a deep plane neck lift, or any other surgical or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Akshay Sanan at the Boston Center for Plastic Surgery, contact us today or call (617) 402-2768 to schedule a consultation.
