IS TECHNOLOGY RUINING YOUR SKIN ?
By Shari Shallard
Oh , technology . Solving life-threatening problems , connecting Earth ’ s every corner . And the convenience ! We can buy e-gift cards for anything , we always know the fastest route , and we can book an aisle seat without ever speaking to another human . But yet — it ’ s kind of doing our heads in . We see chiropractors for text-neck , we ’ re aware of every cocktail party we weren ’ t invited to , and we ’ re convinced the person across the political aisle is the devil . Now it seems technology is making our skin worse too .
Got that sunshine in my pocket There ’ s a growing body of research into how today ’ s technology impacts our health , including a recent finding that mobile screens used outdoors might increase our odds of skin cancer . Now , most of us accept that UV rays from the sun have short and long-term consequences — so we don ’ t leave the house without sunscreen , we wear cute floppy hats at the beach and we picnic under leafy trees . Unfortunately , though , it seems we ’ re unwittingly carrying a little UV-magnifying glass with us wherever we go . A study from the University of Mexico ( published in Journal
of the American Academy of Dermatology ) found that when a mannequin viewed various devices while standing outside , reflection from screens dramatically increased the UV rays hitting the mannequin ’ s face : an iPhone screen creates an increase of 36 %, a laptop 75 %, and an iPad 85 %! The authors Mary E . Logue and Barrett J . Zlotoff say more research is needed to prove an increased cancer risk . But in the meantime , they advise , stick to indoor use and take these measures when using devices outside :
- Wear protective UV-glasses or sunglasses - Wear sunscreen and remember to reapply it ! - Stay in shady areas to minimise reflection
I can ’ t take my eyes up off it Although being indoors bars the UV rays , emerging research suggests high-energy visible ( HEV ) rays — blue light emitted by televisions , computer screens and mobile devices — may affect DNA and speed up the ageing process . So even on days when we stay on the sofa , those daily defence creams with antioxidants and broad-spectrum protection still matter . Inside or outside , the bent-forward , chintucked-down texting pose isn ’ t doing our skin any favours either . Dermatologists are seeing
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