We all have this dilemma of taking the perfect selfie—whether it’s worrying if the lighting’s okay, finding the perfect angle, or thinking of how to get the right fish gape—that we always end up taking a bunch of them until we’re content with it. However, doctors are now saying that taking selfies may be causing our skin to age faster.

This claim began when The Daily Mail featured blogger Mehreen Baig, who apparently takes at least 50 selfies a day for her blog, visited her cosmetic dermatologist one day. After the consultation, she found out that the light from her phone is causing skin damage and dark spots.

Meanwhile, Allure did some digging of their own, and also discovered similar results. Joshua Zeichner, assistant professor in the dermatology department of Mount Sinai Medical Center, tells the outlet, “Visible light has been shown to rev up pigment production, leading to dark spots, and promote breakdown of collagen, which leads to wrinkles. It can also create reactive oxygen species that damage the skin and cause premature skin aging and perhaps skin cancers.”

“There’s no way to avoid visible light totally, but limiting time in front of your computers and cell phones can certainly help,” he adds.

While some doctors also find this quite questionable, it doesn’t hurt to be careful, right? And besides, we also have other ways to prevent skin aging, so go and take as much selfies as you want. Just make sure you keep your skin healthy, and that you don’t forget to put on your facial sunblock to prevent those UV rays from damaging your skin.

[Allure]

Photo courtesy of J-14