From The Straits Times    |

4 ways your smartphone and social media are ageing your skin

Image: Showbit.com

#1 Tech Neck
If you haven’t heard of “tech neck” up until this point, please read this handy introduction to the “condition” as well as four ways to alleviate the effects of it. 

Essentially, all that looking down at your phone (or any device that sits at a low angle) is ageing your neck a lot faster, giving way to more wrinkles and sagging skin. We know it’s hard to avoid looking down at your phone, but a conscious effort to reduce the time spent doing so will help, at least a little! 

#2 EMF radiation
Phones emit an electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation that is generally bad for our health. This, we know, is hardly new information. However, studies have shown that the frequencies penetrate our skin and are absorbed by our body’s tissues. 

We know that phone radiation has been linked to issues like cancer, bone density loss and insomnia, but have less of an idea of how the radiation affects our skin in the long run. Either way, it’s probably a good idea to stop keeping our phones in our pockets. 

#3 Dark spots from overheated phones
While most of us tend to prefer texting over phone calls and are therefore less at risk of this, you should know that an overheated phone may be bad for your skin. 

Prolonged exposure to higher levels of heat can affect melanin in our skin, resulting in uneven skin tones and dark spots. If you’re engaged in a long phone call, make an effort to switch to a headset or handsfree device that doesn’t require the phone to be in contact with your face. 

#4 Wrinkles
This also applies to those of us with great or even perfect eyesight. If you’re someone who frowns and squints when trying to concentrate, everything from reading the text on your phone to looking at pictures on social media is going to accelerate the formation of fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes and across your forehead. We get that small fonts mean people behind you on the train are less likely to see what you’re typing, but bigger fonts are better for your eyes. 

Something like lowering the brightness of your phone to conserve the battery power is also likely to force you to squint to see better. Try enlarging the font on your phone and increasing the brightness of your screen if you find yourself squinting a lot.

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