Want Clearer Skin? Put Away Your Mobile Phone NOW!

Experiencing unexplained breakouts on your cheeks or are you waking up with raccoon-like dark circles from your 8-hour-long beauty sleep? Well, you might just be looking at the culprit in your hands.

Smartphones are an important part of our life. From late-night dinners outside to loo-breaks and even to the hairdresser's, most of us probably carry our phones everywhere we go.

And, while we may end up washing our hands a few times in a day when was the last time you cleaned your smartphone?

“Chances are that we don’t even remember! Since mobile phones are said to carry 10 times more bacteria than a public toilet seat, whenever you put your phone up to your ear for a call, bacteria along with sweat and oil come into contact with the skin leading to breakouts,” says Dr Simal Soin, founder, Aayna Clinic.

Now that we have awakened the germaphobe in you, let’s get to business. All you need is a drop of hand sanitizer and a wad of cotton to get cleaning your phone.

Meanwhile..say hello to wrinkles

Not only is the hygiene quotient of your smartphone rather questionable… the blue light from the device can also cause major skin troubles.

“Mobile phones singlehandedly can cause so many issues such as sleep disturbance that may further lead to beauty woes such as under-eye circles, pigmentation, premature ageing and more,” says Dr Kiran Kaur Sethi of Isaya Aesthetics.

Studies have also pointed out that you should ideally stop your cellphone usage at least 30 minutes before you hit snooze. Umm…does the thought of getting into bed without scrolling down Insta feed scare you? Well, try going old-school and read a book in bed, instead.

The blue light from your phone reduces the melatonin in your body aka the magic hormone that makes your sleepy AF. So, that’s why you end up counting sheep till dawn but still cannot sleep. And…this probably also explains the sudden wrinkles on your face.

Dr Soin agrees. She says, “New age studies on mobile use and skin health have claimed that the blue light of a phone can cause various skin issues, including premature ageing, pigmentation, and acne. The problem is that the blue LEDs emitted by the phone not only release non-ionising radiation but also disrupt your body’s natural sleep cycle. Besides other health issues, not getting enough sleep can lead to poor water balance, which may result in dull skin as well as more visible wrinkles.”

Well, now you know.