Whether you work on a computer all day or are an avid gamer in your free time, it’s no surprise that more and more people are now spending a lot of their lives online given the heavy dependence on technology in our society. In fact, the average adult checks their phone around one hundred and fifty times a day or even more, and some people spend up to nineteen hours looking at some sort of screen. This has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic with Zoom hosting over three hundred million meetings in 2020 compared to just ten million in 2019. While there are significant advantages to the access that we have to technology today, it’s also important to understand what it might be doing to our skin health and how we can counteract it.
Blue Light Damage
You might be familiar with blue light – in fact, many modern phones, laptops, and tablets now have settings like Night Mode to reduce the blue light emitted in the evenings. Every device with a screen, from smartphones to a Lenovo 4K Gaming Monitor, emits this type of ray, known as High Energy Visible light. Along with our electronic devices, it’s also emitted by the sun. Scientists say that it contains more energy compared to other hues in the visible spectrum, making it more harmful to our cells.
Tech Neck
‘Tech neck’ refers to the pain and discomfort that may be felt as a result of constantly looking down on your phone. However, many of us also look down at our computers while working too. Although tech neck doesn’t have any major health risks associated with it, it can lead to issues such as poor posture, back discomfort, and neck strain. It can also impact the skin around your neck including creating premature wrinkles due to the position that your neck is in when you spend hours each day looking down at your phone, laptop or tablet every day. After all, your head weighs between five and ten pounds, and looking down all the time will only add to the physical strain put on your neck.
Acne
Think about the last time you thoroughly cleaned your devices – especially your smartphone. If you have noticed that you have more breakouts on your skin these days, it could be due to dirty devices. In fact, due to their constant use and lack of cleaning, it’s believed that smartphones are actually ten times dirtier than the average toilet seat. Considering how often we touch our screens and then touch our faces, or hold our phones to our faces to talk, it’s no surprise that they might lead to more breakouts and flare-ups of acne.
What You Can Do
While it might be impossible to not use your tech as much depending on your job and your lifestyle, there are some things you can do to mitigate these effects. Keeping your tech clean will help you avoid breakouts while investing in a standing desk or a brace to correct your posture while working at a laptop can help. Limit screen time as much as possible.
Despite being a main part of our everyday lives, our tech might be harming our skin more than we realize.
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
