Do you Need 'Blackberry Botox'?

Wrinkles may be a sign of approaching middle age but younger women now have a reason to worry — the smartphone squint. Many of them are developing premature wrinkles from staring at their smartphones, says Dr. Brian Glatt, a New Jersey City’s board-certified plastic surgeon. According to Dr. Glatt, “The trend for ‘BlackBerry Botox’ is highly increasing especially among women who are addicted to gazing on their BlackBerries or iPhones all day. Peering at a small screen causes facial strain, around and between the brows which may cause premature wrinkles on the face.”

Smartphone-related wrinkles are the latest condition that doctors attribute to overuse of technology. Others include ‘BlackBerry thumb’ – a form of repetitive strain injury caused by excessive texting.

Tips for Smartphone users to help prevent against the need for Blackberry Botox

1. Take a break – It’s important to put down or at least glance up from your Smartphone regularly so that your eyes can rest. Though squinting is necessary when using a Smartphone, taking time to relax your eyes can make a significant difference in reducing this new type of strain on your facial muscles.

2. Turn the light down low – too much light and contrast can cause you to narrow the eyes to take in the brightness. A no-no for fresh-looking eye contours. Combat the dreaded ‘crow’s feet’ effect by dimming the screen in your ‘settings’ options – and see how low you can go on the light emission. The less, the better. (as a bonus, this will also help preserve your phone’s battery life!)

3. Enlarge the text – If you find yourself struggling to read the small text on your Smartphone and start holding it so close you wrinkle your nose so much it hurts, just enlarge the text by simply going to your settings and altering the text size. Also, the zoom function can be a fantastic thing – use it to focus in on images on your device so you can see much more clearly and avoid pulling the inner eye.

4. Looking after your eyes – If you can bear it, spend less time glued to your iPhone or Blackberry. And during this timeout, take some deep breaths to relax the face into a more natural expression, and gently massage the area around the eyes – a simple thing that can make a big difference to preventing those lines that starts subtly but can get deeper and more pronounced. Not only will your face be serene looking, you will feel more serene – and in a much better state to deal with any inbox horrors.

5. Don’t forget to smile! If you are experiencing stress from being constantly attached to your Smartphone, just think about the potentially negative effect this is having on your youthful appearance. Then, take time to do something that relieves the tension, like playing on a fun app, like TomCat or Angry Birds; this will help relax your face, soften your expression and prevent long term frown lines.

About Dr. Brian Glatt, MD

Brian S. Glatt, MD, FACS is a premier, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon serving the New Jersey and New York Metropolitan Area. In addition to a loyal following of patients in the tri-state region, people often travel from other parts of the country to see Dr. Glatt. His reputation as a stellar surgeon who takes immense pride in his ability to combine the highest level of technical expertise with exceptional artistic vision and a keen aesthetic sense in order to produce outstanding, yet natural looking results has gained him national acclaim. Dr. Glatt’s Morristown, New Jersey locale allows patients to receive optimal treatment in a discrete setting.

Dr. Glatt graduated magna cum laude and with honors from the University of Pennsylvania before receiving his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He then completed the prestigious Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Following his residency, Dr. Glatt completed a specialized fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, focusing on state of the art, advanced microsurgical and reconstructive techniques, particularly of the breast. Dr. Glatt is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He is licensed to practice plastic and reconstructive surgery in New Jersey and New York.