Technology to blame? This patient underwent surgery to change the shape of her face - pictures courtesy of Dr. Sherman, a plastic surgeon based in San Diego
Technology addicts may be at risk of sagging jowls, according to aesthetic experts.
It is believed that smartphone and laptop use, could cause facial skin and muscle to lose its elasticity as people spend an increasing amount of time sat with their heads bent.
It is now believed that the phenomenon, dubbed 'smartphone face' could be behind the growing trend for skin tightening treatments and chin implants which cost around £4,290.
According to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) 'chinplants' are becoming the fastest growing cosmetic surgery trend.
In 2011 its popularity grew more than breast augmentation, Botox and liposuction combined.
And a number of leading doctors believe that technology could be behind the growing trend, as poor posture can promote saggy jowls, double chins and 'marionette lines' - the creases from the corners of the mouth down the chin.
Confirming the condition, coined 'smartphone face', Dr Mervyn Patterson of the Woodford Medical group told the Evening Standard: 'If you sit for hours with your head bent slightly forward, staring at your iPhone or laptop screen, you may shorten the neck muscles and increase the gravitational pull on the jowl area, leading to a drooping jawline.'
According to Ofcom’s 2011 Communication Market Report 91 percent of adults use a mobile phone while 27 percent opt for smartphones.
Meanwhile the Health and Safety Executive’s Horizon Scanning paper reports that by 2015, 70-80 percent of workers could be, at least partially, working remotely from a laptop.
ASPS president Dr Malcolm Roth also suggests that the use of video chat causes people to be more conscious of their appearance.
'The chin and jawline are among the first areas to show signs of ageing.
'As more people see themselves on video chat technology, they may notice that their jawline is not as sharp as they want.'
美容专家称，科技痴迷者们要小心面颊松弛下垂。
据认为，经常使用智能手机和笔记本电脑会导致人的面部皮肤和肌肉失去弹性，因为人们低头坐着的时间越来越多。
专家认为，这种“智能手机脸”现象可能是现在拉皮手术和垫下巴手术日益盛行的背后原因，这种手术花费在4290英镑左右。
根据美国整形外科学会发布的数据，垫下巴是当前发展势头最迅猛的整容手术。
2011年，隆胸、注射肉毒杆菌和吸脂三个加在一块，还不如垫下巴流行。
许多首席医师认为，技术可能是这一潮流的背后原因，因为姿势不当会导致脸颊下垂、双下巴和“木偶纹”——从嘴角到下巴的皱纹。
伍德福德医疗集团的梅尔弗因•派特森医生将这一症状确诊为“智能手机脸”，他告诉《标准晚报》说：“如果你连坐数小时，头总是稍微前倾盯着iPhone或笔记本电脑的屏幕，你会缩短脖子的肌肉，增加脸颊部位受到的地心引力，导致下颌松垂。”
根据英国通信业监管机构Ofcom的《2011年通信市场报告》，91%的成人使用手机，27%的成人用的是智能手机。
与此同时，健康与安全委员会的远景扫描论文报告说，到2015年，将有70%到80%的员工会用笔记本电脑远程办公，至少部分时间是如此。
美国整形外科学会的主席马尔科姆•罗斯医生还指出，视频聊天的使用让人们更注重自己的形象。
“脸颊和下颌轮廓是最早出现衰老迹象的地方。
“当越来越多的人使用视频聊天技术看到自己时，他们会注意到自己的下颌轮廓不像自己理想中的那样线条鲜明。”
marionette: 牵线木偶