It’s no secret that our phones are covered in germs. From being our bathroom trip companion, to sitting on the table at dinner time, our phones are an extension of us, and as a result, harbour many of the germs we get in contact with. This can be problematic in a number of ways, but one that isn’t always considered, is how it can affect our skin.
We commonly use our phones by tapping on the screen, or holding it up against our cheeks. Whilst there has been a shift away from the latter as a result of headphones, the contact is regular, with the average mobile phone user touching their phone 150 times a day.
So what germs are on our phone screens and how are they problematic?
There are 100 different types of bacteria on a phone, and most of these are harmless. But there are some that can be more dangerous, like E.coli and MRSA. The ones that can have an impact on skin, are 3 types of gram-positive bacteria; Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Propionibacterium.
These types of bacteria have been proven to cause acne, which means when these bacteria are harboured on the surface of your phone, and make contact with you cheek, or when you touch your phone with your fingers and then touch your face (something we have become very aware that we do far more frequently than most though, pre-pandemic), you are exposing your skin to this bacteria.
Methods of dealing with this
Having a clean phone is essential. This can be done with regular cleaning of the screen and back of a phone, as well, as of course, using a Clen case and screen protector. The technology in Clen cases and screen protectors doesn’t allow bacteria to survive and therefore build up on the surfaces of the screen or case, reducing the risk of contact to potentially harmful bacteria.
Other important solutions include regular hand washing. This sounds obvious, but is highly effective at reducing a number of risks.
