Smartphones: Caging Your Face into Premature Ageing

Take a Break My Friend, Else Your Skin Might Age Well Before you!

Extending an Invitation to Bacteria by Keeping Your Mobile Close to Your Face?

With the advent of the smartphone mankind has lost his humane touch in everything he does! We have forgotten to meet and greet people, never try to remember birthdays and anniversaries as everything is stored in our mobiles with reminders; our phones have also become our alarm clocks which we look at first thing in the morning and there are even some who have started leading lives using Skype and Facetime. Despite knowing that smartphones might emit electromagnetic radiations that could result in tumours or being aware of the fact that mobiles have been sole culprits in a number of road accidents we have not been able to restrict their usage. Our health nor the fact that our valuable life hangs by these phones doesn’t deter us from using them more and more. But the latest findings by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery that smartphone usage might make us look prematurely old comes as a shocking revelation!
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The Clue to Ageing Lies with the Blue Light
Computer radiations are quoted to be bad for health and people started wearing plain glasses to protect their eyesight from prolonged computer usage. We also talk about the harmful UV rays from the sun that can cause skin cancers but don’t bother much about the blue light emitted from smartphones. Also known as high-energy visible light (HEV) these rays can have debilitating effects on the skin breaking down collagen and elastin. HEV is emitted from any type of electronic device (television, laptop or even tablets) which includes cell phones as well and we talk about smartphones here as these have become the most-used digital devices in today’s world. Studies also show that hyperpigmentation is a critical risk posed by HEV light that paves way for brown splotches and spots. Blue light increases activity of tyrosinase (skin enzyme that kickstarts melanin synthesis) and causes pigment-producing cells to go into overdrive promoting dark spots.

Another fact is that however sleepy one is we have all made it a point to scroll through our chats, see our Facebook and Instagram updates or watch an episode of our favourite series before going to sleep. Such prolonged exposure to smartphone light during nights makes it difficult for an individual to go to sleep even after the mobile is switched off. Hence, with lesser sleep time and quality there is every chance that the skin loses moisture, becomes dehydrated and dull over course of time.

Extending an Invitation to Germs
It’s not the toilet seats but our mobile phones that are homes to a greater number of bacteria-almost 10 times more than our toilet seats! The mobile phone attracts bacteria as it resides in every place imaginable. It goes to the kitchen when we cook, to the living room when we sit down, to the dining table when we sit for meals, to the bedroom and even to the loo. This gives us immense opportunities to transfer the bacteria from the phone onto our face resulting in acne and other skin problems. So, every phone call that you make or receive is a chance for the bacteria to jump onto your facial skin and get into the pores disrupting your well-being. While smartphones cannot be avoided you can clean them using a microfiber cloth every day or use an earphone to speak to someone rather than keeping the phone onto your face.

Check Your Neck
It is common that many of us meet over for a meal together and all that we do is look at our cell phones with our head bent keenly rather than talking to each other. Looking down constantly to check your phone is common while waiting at the doctor’s place for an appointment, at the theatre before the movie is screened and likewise. Such repeated action of bending the neck to look at the smartphone screen causes creasing as the skin is delicate and loses elasticity (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/beauty/six-ways-your-phone-is-messing-with-your-skin/photostory/64218781.cms?picid=64218942). This can also cause sagging skin and wrinkles around the chin and the neck. Apart from causing a strain on our eyes, constantly looking at the smartphone can also cause crow’s feet that are bound to develop even during 20s and 30s when an individual strains his/her eyes for better visibility and contracts the muscles to focus better. The best way to avoid problems with the neck and eyes is to avoid using the cell phone for a prolonged period and rather, maintaining a straight posture. It is better to take breaks even while looking at the computer screen and apply natural aloe vera gel under the skin to keep it moisturised as this promotes cell renewal.

Crow’s feet and sagging neck, indications of ageing, have started occurring in youngsters as well owing to prolonged use of cell phones. Curbing their use and sticking to more natural ways to engage yourself is the need of the hour. We did not stop using smartphones when it was a hazard to our health and life but maybe now that it affects our beauty and wellness there are chances that many individuals might stop using these gadgets!

References
Beware Your Cell Phones! It Causes Wrinkles, Cosmetic Surgeons Say: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/06/03/beware-your-cell-phone-it-causes-wrinkles-cosmetic-surgeons-say/#c22729028caa

Attention: Your Smartphone is Making Your Skin Old & Wrinkly: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/photo-stories/attention-your-smartphone-is-making-your-skin-old-and-wrinkly/photostory/65474646.cms?picid=65474702
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Your Phone Could be the Culprit Behind Your Dull Skin! What you Need to Know: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/your-phone-could-be-the-culprit-behind-your-dull-skin-what-you-need-to-know/articleshow/70347492.cms

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Entangling Yourself with Crow’s Feet in Your 30s is Not Appreciable