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" Think your smartphone is your BFF? Research shows that it might be more of a foe than a friend. According to a study led by researchers from the London School of Hygiene &amp;amp;amp; Tropical Medicine, 780 swab samples were taken\u2014half from phones and half from their owners&amp;#039; hands\u2014and revealed that 92 percent of the subjects&amp;#039; hands and 82 percent of their phones had some kind of bacteria on them. Gross, right? &amp;quot;Here&amp;#039;s the thing, bacteria is one of the main causes of acne, which is why it&amp;#039;s important to clean off your screen regularly,&amp;quot; says Debra Jaliman, M.D., a NYC-based dermatologist and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets From a Top New York Dermatologist. &amp;quot;Anytime a patient comes in complaining about acne, the first thing I ask them is what side of their face they usually hold their phone against. If it&amp;#039;s the same side that&amp;#039;s breaking out, before I recommend any topicals or oral medications to target acne, I suggest that they use earphones or a headset while they&amp;#039;re on the phone to see if that reduces their blemishes significantly.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What happens when you hold your phone up to your face is that there is a mechanical stimulation (the pressure against the oil glands) that triggers them to produce more oil,&amp;quot; says Jaliman. &amp;quot;Then, the bacteria from the screen\u2014and the heat that it gives off that breeds more bacteria\u2014mixes together and results in a blemish.&amp;quot; To mimimize breakouts, in addition to using head- or earphones while you chat away, Jaliman suggest wiping down your phone daily. We like GoSwype Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, $2, goswype.com, which help remove up to 98 percent of germs and bacteria on your phone simply by swiping the screen. Each cloth is effective at keeping your phone screen germ-free for up to two weeks, then it&amp;#039;s time to toss it and get a new one. Or, you can pick up some Monster iClean Screen Cleaner, $15, monstercable.com, spray it onto a tissue or cloth, and wipe down your screen. If the end result is clearer skin, we&amp;#039;re in.  Do you wipe down your phone regularly? Photo: Courtesy Image Follow Carly Cardellino on Facebook and Twitter. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/how-to/a11048/is-your-smartphone-causing-acne/>