Selfie ages skin and causes wrinkles
If you think your skin is ageing prematurely and getting wrinkles at a younger age, it could be because of regularly exposing the face to the light and electromagnetic radiation from smartphones.
Yes, smartphones can damage your skin; and too many selfies are not good for your skin.
Skin specialists even claim they can tell which hand a person holds their phone by just looking at which side of the face is most damaged.
Dr Simon Zoakei, Medical Director of the Linia Skin Clinic in Harley Street, said: ‘Those who take a lot of selfies and bloggers should worry. Even the blue light we get from our screens can damage our skin.’
‘I think there is a gap in the market for products which protect because I know there are people who take lots of selfies, and bloggers who come to me and I have seen that there is damage there and there ageing taking place. It’s a different wavelength of radiation so sunscreen will not block it,’ says Dr Zoakei.
Renowned dermatolgists Dr Zein Obagi, who founded the Obagi Skin health Institute in Beverley Hills, added: “’Your cell phone will damage your skin. This magnetic field is altering the minerals in the skin. A sunscreen will not protect you. But if you saturate your skin with anti-oxidants it can help prevent DNA damage from electronic devices.’
Experts believe that electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones ages skin by damaging the DNA. It can cause breaks in the DNA strand which can prevent skin repairing itself and create oxidative stress on the cells.
The experts also argued that most moisturizers and oils do not work and may make skin worse, and that ‘a good scrub’ helps.
Dr Obagi added: ‘You cannot hydrate the skin from the outside. We have to stimulate the skin to bring back hydration from within. When you put your hand in the water for half an hour you see it white and crinkly you don’t see any more hydration. There is a reason that women have more problems with sensitive skin than men. It’s because women use products.’
At least take antioxidants and scrub your skin if you can’t reduce your usage of smartphones. Sunscreens and moisturizers do not help
