Doomscrolling My Way To Acne

Social media has always been a controversial topic, but for me, one thing is for certain: it ruins my skin. No matter all the multifaceted, negative ways it wreaks havoc in my life, the aftermath is all the same. The radiation, the bad advice, the countless hours of interminable scrolling - my skin suffers through it all. Due to social media, I have incorporated a nasty habit that is spending AT LEAST 3 hours on my phone every day. My face resists by turning irritatingly red and growing unwanted warts that threaten to scar forever. Social media has taken over my life and my skin. 

The self-acclaimed doctors on TikTok, the countless skin supplements advertised on Instagram, and the hours and hours of buildup from rotting in bed with a phone in hand has done wonders for my skin. As soon as I get home, I get in bed and scroll on Tiktok. Next, at the dinner table, I’m showing my mom makeup brands I found on instagram. Finally, I fall asleep next to my phone at night, waiting for my alarm in the morning to sound so I can do it all over again. The screen itself doesn’t irritate my skin, it's the complete and utter unconsciousness to the world due to my fixation on the screen. Every time I walk outside with my phone out, I don’t realize just how dirty my face is getting from particles in the wind, people’s bacteria (sneezes, talking), and from touching dirty things. Social media is so addictive that I don’t realize how much of a toll it has taken on my skin, or even my life. 

Sometimes I’ll wake up in the morning and be confused as to why my forehead and cheeks are covered in little red dots. Even if I slept in clean sheets, did my skincare, and ate the right things, one factor never changed: the amount of time I spend on social media. Realistically, it's only partly social media that’s impacting my skin so badly; it’s my phone. All the dirt and chemicals I touch with my hands transfers to my phone, then eventually, my face. Social media keeps me hooked to my phone, and I believe that is the reason I break out periodically. Social media has done nothing beneficial for me other than being a source of short-term entertainment, and my skin is paying the price.