Let’s own up. We all love a selfie, right?
But if you’re a fan of that little front camera, you may not be particularly impressed with what we’re about to tell you.
Because apparently, our snaps could actually be affecting our skin – in a pretty unpleasant way. NOOO.
This theory came to light after a blogger named Mehreen Baig noticed flaws beginning to appear on her skin, including blemishes, whiteheads, dark spots and dark circles.
The 26-year-old came to the conclusion that her 50-a-day selfie habit (yep, THAT many) may be behind these cosmetic issues.
Sound kinda crazy? Well actually, there may be some scientific backing to this.
> Does Kylie Jenner know about this?!
Our techie screens emit a blue light known as High-Energy Visible light (HEV). Although dermatologists don’t know as much about it as UV light, preliminary research suggests that the effects may be similarly damaging.
Hmmm. To find out exactly what was going on, Mehreen headed off to see Dr Simon Zokaie – Cosmetic Dermatologist at the Linia skin clinic – for a skin analysis.
We’ve gotta admit, the results were a tad scary. She tells the Daily Mail: ‘Dr Zokaie informed me that my skin has indeed been damaged by HEV light, and a lot of the damage is still under my skin, not yet visible to the naked eye.
‘The predominant damage on my skin from HEV light was evident through pigmentation and new freckles, and the brown spots on my cheeks were a direct result of light from my computer screen and mobile phones.
‘Sunscreen cannot protect skin from HEV light yet, but it is something scientists are investigating.
‘The best thing to do, he emphasised, is to use an antioxidant serum during the daytime. Serum penetrates the pores skin more effectively, and an antioxidant will slow down and reverse the process of ROS.