Flashes from smartphone selfies could be giving you wrinkles, scientists claim

If you love a good selfie , you might want to consider turning the flash on your smartphone off. A new study has warned that flashes from smartphone selfies could be giving you wrinkles. Researchers from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences have discovered that flashes from LEDs - which are used in most smartphones - can affect the skin’s ability to repair itself, leading to early ageing.
Based on the findings, the researchers are urging smartphone manufactures to use Xenon rather than LEDs.
Dr Najmeh Arjmandi, who led the study, said: “Frequent exposure to visible light spectrum of the selfie flashes may cause skin damage and accelerated skin ageing.
“Although, there are numerous advantages for the use of LEDs over Xenon flashes, the peak spectral intensity of LEDs lies in the blue region.
“Current data show that exposure to blue light can lead to different levels of damage in human eyes and skin.
“Changing the spectral output of LED-based smartphones’ flashes can be introduced as an effective method for reducing the adverse health effects associated with exposure to blue light.”
In the study, the researchers looked at the effect of selfie flashes on the skin.
They found that UV rays emitted by selfie flashes cause reactive oxygen species, which destabilise skin cell molecules, and lead to the formation of wrinkles.
However, this effect is only seen when the smartphone is held up to the face, and not when it’s on a tripod.