Smartphones and Wrinkles

Beware of Smartphone Face

by Anna K. Fryxell, Social Media Associate

Deny it all you want, but we live in a world where we’ve become increasingly dependent on our smartphones. Be it Blackberry, Droid or iPhone, odds are that you spend quite a bit of your time on your phone every day. While we love our handy apps and games like Instagram and Draw Something, our devices might actually age us.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently reported that chin implants were one of the fastest growing cosmetic surgery procedures in 2011, and many doctors speculate that our smartphones might be to blame. It turns out that staring down at our phones actually shortens the neck muscles and increases the gravitational pull on the jowl area. This results in saggy jowls, double chins and more noticeable marionette lines.

But that’s not it, we previously reported that our cellphones can also cause wrinkles. This makes sense because squinting at a small screen strains the face, especially around the eyes and between the brows. This can actually cause premature wrinkling in those areas. Translation: crows feet!

Basically, our smartphones now join sun exposure and pollution on the long list of things that age us. To prevent “Smartphone Face,” a couple of tips are to enlarge the text on the screen, dim the brightness, and try to spend a little more time away from your phone. As hard as that may seem, your reflection in the mirror will thank you in the long run!