Bloggers beware? Doctor disputes claim that selfies damage skin

Could snapping selfies be bad for your health? A U.K. doctor says selfies cause wrinkles and premature aging, but a B.C. dermatologist says the sun is the real culprit.

A U.K. dermatologist is warning bloggers and Instagram addicts to put down their smartphones, but a local doctor says selfie snappers have nothing to worry about.

Speaking at a conference in London this weekend, a dermatologist said that exposing skin to mobile phone radiation can damage the skin.

The specialist said the radiation from smartphones can speed up aging and cause wrinkles.

"Those who take a lot of selfies and bloggers should worry," Dr. Simon Zokaie told London newspaper the Daily Telegraph.

"It's a different wavelength of radiation so sunscreen will not block it."

Another doctor said the effects are so obvious that he's able to tell whether his patients use their left or right hands when holding their phones.

But a Vancouver dermatologist told CTV News that the real culprit is the sun.

"Wrinkles are caused mainly by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and these devices don't produce that type of radiation," Dr. Jason Rivers said Monday.

But Rivers said there was a recent study that suggested that some of the sun's UV light may be reflected onto a cellphone user's face when they're taking a selfie.

In theory, this can increase the user's exposure to wrinkle-causing UV rays, "but on a day-to-day basis it's not going to cause wrinkles," he said.

Rivers added that he has not seen any data proving the U.K. doctor's theory. More likely to cause skin problems is infrequent handwashing.

"You can transfer bacteria from your hands to your cellphone to your face and potentially, theoretically at least, cause infections."

Cellphones also emit a low level of blue light, which can help to reduce acne at a high intensity, he said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim