Cell phones have been indispensible today- we just cannot function without them.  Do you remember the last time you left home and forgot your cell phone?  You probably had a sinking feeling in your stomach when you realized that you were incommunicado.  But as useful and convenient as cell phones are, they also come with some health risks.  Mobile phones can cause everything from skin problems to cancer, so some precautions must be taken.

Skin Problems Caused by Cell Phones

People who talk on their cell phones a lot and hold their phones up to their faces can get something called mobile phone dermatitis.  This is a real condition and has been studied by the British Association of Dermatitis and consists of a rash on the chin, ears or cheeks.  It is caused by the nickel in many phones, which a lot of people are allergic to.  This problem can be particularly prevalent in people who don’t switch which side they talk on the phone.  If the phone is constantly on one side of your face, there’s more of a chance that your skin will be irritated by it.

Ways to Prevent Skin Problems

There are few different things people can do to prevent skin irritations from their phones.  The first is to use an earbud or Bluetooth headset.  If the phone isn’t touching your face, then it can’t cause problems on your skin.  Another option is to check with the phone manufacturers and find cell phones that don’t contain nickel.  And of course reducing the amount of time that you talk on your cell phone will help.

Cell Phone Radiation

There’s been a lot of back and forth in the medical community regarding whether or not cell phones are safe.  A Danish study back in 2006 claimed that it was completely safe to use cell phones, but recently the study has been criticized as being flawed.  There is no doubt that in our current technological world, we are exposed to vast amounts of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from our appliances, devices and power lines.  Cell phones are no exception, and the threat comes from both the handsets as well as the cell towers.  Studies have connected brain tumors and genetic damage to cell phone radiation.

So what can you do?  Luckily some of the solutions for reducing cell phone radiation are the same as the ones to reduce skin irritation from cell phones.  The first thing to do is to get an ear bud or headset.  This puts real physical distance between your head and the radiation, thereby protecting you.  There are special headsets designed to reduce radiation, so look for these.  There is also something called ferrite beads which you can add to regular wired ear buds to help absorb radiation. It’s not recommended to get a Bluetooth headset if your goal is reduce radiation, since it will emit its own type of radiation.  Also, never use your phone when the signal is bad.  Your phone will use a lot more power trying to get a signal strong enough to talk on, and while it does this, it is emitting more radiation.

Of course getting off your cell phone is probably the best way to reduce radiation.  The less time that your cell phone is on and close to your head, the better off you’ll be in terms of reducing your risk of illness due to radiation.