Even Gen Z is obsessed with the neck Prejuvenation, tech neck, and the new anxiety of not aging

We observe new generations under a magnifying glass so precise that it reveals even what they believed could remain secret. Today, there is a word for every behavior or emotional state, just think of the term FOMO, used to describe the anxiety of missing out generated by social media. Recently, a word at the intersection of skincare and plastic surgery has been used to describe a new behavior among Gen Z: prejuvenation, a neologism created by merging prevention and rejuvenation. It was first introduced by the ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) and appears in the recent WGSN report "Future of Consumer 2026". You know the saying prevention is better than cure? Exactly, that’s their goal. Why fight wrinkles when you can stop them from forming in the first place? This also ties into the concept of banking your collagen. Young consumers see collagen as a financial asset: it must be “deposited” (through supplements or preventive treatments) before the body naturally slows its production (around the age of 25). The message is clear: in 2026, we don’t want to age, and nothing can be left to chance, not even the neck. Until about 10–15 years ago, interest in the neck was almost exclusively corrective. Intervention happened only when signs of aging were already very visible, such as severe skin laxity or the so-called “turkey neck.” Today, however, it represents the new frontier of anti-aging.

Neck aging and prevention: what does “smartphone neck” mean?

According to data from the AAFPRS, about 32% of patients requesting facial and neck procedures today are under 35—a figure that was almost nonexistent a decade ago. The reason? Since 2018, with the explosion of social media, video calls, and heavy smartphone use, attention to this issue has shifted dramatically. Constantly tilting our posture toward devices is accelerating the appearance of horizontal neck lines even among people in their twenties. This is where the term Tech Neck comes from—and why young people fear it. As also highlighted by BoF, we are entering the era of social-media-driven “body dysmorphia”: Neck Anxiety is often linked to unrealistic beauty standards created by digital filters or by the distorted perception we have of ourselves during video calls.

What does the beauty industry think?

The beauty industry, unsurprisingly, is keeping pace. We’re witnessing the rise of new hybrid formulas, products designed to be lighter and more easily absorbed, created for young skin that doesn’t yet need rich textures but wants to “preserve” collagen. If neck cream once felt like the most useless item to steal from our mother’s skincare routine, today we not only want it, we choose it for ourselves. Young consumers are looking for highly specific formulations with active ingredients (such as retinoids, peptides, and hyaluronic acid) developed specifically for the neck area, which has thinner skin and fewer sebaceous glands than the face. Brands have understood this and moved quickly to position themselves in the market. Think, for example, of Clinique’s Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Cream, an anti-wrinkle cream designed for the neck area and widely used and promoted by very young users, or Dr.Jart’s Prejuvenation line, which is based precisely on the neologism mentioned above.

The neck and plastic surgery

It’s not just about skincare. In 2025, we saw growing demand among under-30s for targeted procedures. Beyond traditional surgery (such as neck lifts), interest has increased in less invasive treatments like fillers and biorevitalizing treatments to smooth wrinkles, as well as in new technologies such as lasers, focused ultrasound, and radiofrequency to stimulate collagen and firm the skin. The fact that “Neck Anxiety” now affects people in their twenties, however, is the latest symptom of a deeper and more troubling trend: the erosion of the right to biological aging.

The right to biological aging

If until yesterday concern about the neck was a rite of passage into adulthood, today it has become a race against time that starts even before time itself. Just think about the phenomenon of Sephora Kids and the rise of skincare brands for children such as BÉIS Kids by Shay Mitchell, which operate along a dangerous line where imperfection is no longer an option, not even during growth. We don’t know what will happen in 2026, but anything accompanied by the word “Anxiety” never promises anything positive. We need to let go of the fear of aging and remember that our skin is not an immaculate storefront, but our gateway to the world.