How my mobile affects my skin? Technology has come a long way in the past 15 years and a lot of people would say they couldn’t live without their phones or tablets. But there is a downside to it, technology makes you age.
We have put together the main problems that are occurring between your technology gadgets and the ageing process, along with solutions.
Why is technology making me age and what are the ageing signs?
Sagging skin, double chins, marionette lines
The constant neck bending to look at your screen is causing neck muscles to be shortened, thereby increasing the gravitational pull on the skin. This effect leads to sagging skin and dropping jowls.
Dermatologists have even named this condition ‘the tech-neck’.
The solution
If you are suffering from tech-neck, the good news is that you aren’t the only one and there are solutions to it:
– Hold your smartphone or tablet up to look at it so your chin stays parallel to the ground. Don’t keep your head be constantly down.
– Allocate some time away from your phone or tablet to give your neck a rest.
– Frequent stretching can also help. Try gently moving your neck up and down, side to side so that you give your neck a good stretch.
Spots or worsened acne
There are many reasons for spots and acne breakouts but one of them could be to do with your unclean phone or by touching your keyboard and then touching your face.
Holding your phone up to your face means that there is a mechanical stimulation (the pressure against the oil glands) that triggers them to produce more oil. Then, the bacteria and heat from the screen breeds more bacteria, mixes with the skin and results in blemishes.
SEE ALSO: Spots: our top 5 product picks to fight pimples
The solution
– Bacteria are one of the main causes of acne, so it’s super important to clean your screen and keyboard regularly, if not after you use it. This will help to remove up to 98% of germs and bacteria and germs.
– Try using earphones instead of holding your phone up to your face.
Squinty eyes (hello crows feet)
Whether it’s from the glare on your screen, your eyesight or you are trying to read small print on a small screen, we are tirelessly squinting our eyes to see things clearer on our screen. In the process we are exhausting our eyes and stretching the already delicate layer of skin around them.
The solution
– First things first, do you need an eye test? Increasingly important if you are struggling to read print that you used to be fine with.
– Zoom in to enlarge fonts and images.
– Move your face and body. Every two to three hours make an effort to get up, take some deep breaths and stretch/move around.
– Give your eyes a breather from the screen every 20 minutes by simply focusing on your surroundings.
– Adjust your screen’s brightness so it’s not as glaring.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles (or computer face as we like to call it!) are all to do with the specific face you make when you are deeply focused on something.
Computer/smartphone face is a repetitive strain injury to your skin. Any repetitive facial movement (such as frowning, squinting or tensing your mouth) overworks your facial muscles and creates a groove under the skin’s surface. Over time, this groove turns into a wrinkle.
RECOMMENDED: Argan & Olive Squalane Eye Serum from GerlindeNaturals
The solution
– Avoid frowning or tensing your jaw. Relax your face and be aware of the expressions you use when working. This will stop the wrinkles from permanently staying on your face!
– Gently massage your face using small circular motions with both sets of fingers.
– If you to tend to clench your jaw when you are focused open your mouth and move your jaw to the right for a few seconds, then left.
– Smiling is a great way to ease tension in your face, especially in your cheeks.
