What the glow from your mobile phone really does to your skin

We've already heard that the radiation from your phone can cause numerous complications and the dirt from your smartphone can give you acne and clogged pores but here's what the glow from your screen does to your skin.

If you're the kind of person who sits up at night with the lights off while scrolling through your Facebook or Instagram feed, then it turns out that you may be wrecking your complexion.

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Apparently, the fluorescent glow from your smartphone could leave you susceptible to Melasma - a hyper-pigmentation condition that causes brown or gray patches on the skin.

Dermatologist Mona Gohara told Refinery29 that the spots may appear on your skin from spending too much time indoors glued to your computer or phone.

“In the last decade we have realised that sun and the birth control pill are not the only melasma culprits," she said.

“Research has shown that the visible light from computers, cell phones, and light bulbs can be sources, as well. That's why sometimes patients don't get better with just standard sunscreen — the other sources continue to tax the skin."

Sun exposure and hormonal changes (usually associated with pregnancy) are traditionally the main causes of Melasma but while light may be used by some doctors and beauticians as a treatment for a range of skin issues, this new revelation may just change all that in the future.

Some ways you can combat it is to turn down the brightness on your phone or laptop and look out for sunscreen that conatains iron oxide

Products containing this ingredient are “great to have on hand as easy-to-apply barriers against the [light] demons lurking in your office,” Dr. Gohara said.

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