Is doom scrolling taking away all your facial moisture?

Every time you think of taking a break from your work by scrolling through some content on your phones and laptops, do you look at the clock and get shocked to see how an hour or two has passed unknowingly? Do you know what happens in that span of two hours? Well, yes your work is stalled, you scrolled through some entertaining content and forgot about them all; and your skin just became a little more dehydrated. Yes, this might shock you but prolonged exposure to electronic gadgets might do you more harm than just affecting the eyes. Here’s a complete breakdown of what happens and how you can work your way around it.

How are mobiles and laptops contributing to facial moisture loss?

Scientifically, the action of scrolling through a phone or working on a laptop doesn’t directly take away facial moisture. But while you are at it, several factors play in the background, which are responsible for facial dehydration. The longer you are exposed to the screen, the longer the blue light emission falls on your face, which is one of the major factors in drawing out moisture due to oxidative stress. Moreover, to not miss out on the content, you unconsciously start blinking less. This means dry eyes and dryness around the eye area. Constant scrolling with your hands can also strip it of natural oils and hydration. Lastly, but not least, you often tend to forget your surroundings while looking at the screen. This sometimes exposes you to external agents like pollution, climate, heat, etc., which leave the skin dry.

How to do damage control during moisture evaporation from the face?

If scrolling and prolonged exposure are a part of your life, then you can adopt a few safety measures so that your skin doesn’t suffer. First, always hydrate your skin by applying and re-applying lightweight moisturiser. And yes, keep that one-litre bottle of water near you to sip from occasionally. Second, give your eyes a break while scrolling. You can do this by blinking often or taking a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away after every 20 minutes.  Third, be mindful of the surroundings in which you start scrolling. Losing track of time outdoors in the chilly wind or indoors around high heaters is both dangerous for the skin. Fourth, take the classic advice into account. Reduce your screen time, take regular breaks, put your phones and keep your laptops away from your face or find another hobby!  

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