Emer O'Callaghan: How your phone can ruin your beauty

The older I get, the more I enjoy the quiet life. I work hard, have a small circle, and value my privacy far more now.

That said, I am my father’s daughter, and a party and an excuse for a good sing-song is always fun.

I used to go to so many social events but now I’m far more selective on that front, My friend’s husband turned 50 last week and arranged a fancy dress party in their home.

When we all first met like 30 years ago in town, he used to call me Shakira because my hair is naturally wavy and I have a lot of it!

Back then, we all had the belly buttons pierced and the low-cut jeans and bling around our flat stomach.

So it was an easy choice for me to just go as Shakira for his 50th party.

I did have to perfect the hair a bit, and on the first attempt I was more like Michael Bolton, but I got it right for the night.

What made the night even more enjoyable was the birthday boy had a strict ‘No Phones’ rule. That’s how we grew up and it was far more fun.

Now, everything is put up on social media, privacy is no longer a thing, and I believe it has ruined a lot of great nights because it’s hard to relax when the phones are around.

Only this week, we brought in a strict no phones policy in my clinic, and we did so for many reasons.

Firstly, the phones interfere with the machines we use. Secondly, the relaxation is ruined by a constantly vibrating phone in a bag - phones on silent still make vibration noises.

At Emerald Beauty Clinic, I aim to provide a safe, relaxing, peaceful oasis of calm and all these phones were killing the effect.

So now we tell all clients to simply leave their phones in the car, and already this has made a huge difference in how fully people can relax and switch off.

It’s alarming how attached we all are to our phones. I wouldn’t look at mine from one end of my working day to the next, but at weekends I do look at it and then I am glad I avoid them so much.

I have a fantastic social media team for my business who do all that side of it for me, so I can just focus on my clients and treatments all day long.

They say phones are the greatest disruptor to a working day, with the distractions they cause and the amount of working time lost.

If you ask me, we are far too easy to contact today: you can call a mobile, or work, or home, you can text, use WhatsApp, email, send a direct message on social media... I tell ya, it’s a big change.

In the old days, if you had a date to meet at the main door of Roches Stores on Patrick Street at 8pm on a Saturday, you just showed up and your word was enough. That was better than all this messaging.

Research tells us that the level of constant contact we have today is a huge contributor to our stressful lives, and then we still have loneliness as a huge topic of concern. So many elderly people are not good with I.T and miss the human connection we had before the pandemic.

So, this week, as a beauty doctor and skin expert, I want to highlight the many ways that phones and our addiction to them are impacting so many aspects of all our lives.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The biggest problem those of us who are highly trained and qualified in beauty and skin have with social media is the thousands of so-called influencers, many of whom are paid, that are giving incorrect tips and advice there.

Every month, there’s a new TikTok beauty or skin trend that often does more damage to the skin than good. It’s us, the experts, who end up having to repair it.

Go to us the, trained professionals, for all your skin and beauty needs, we are trained in it.

NECK/EYE/HAND STRAIN

All these problems can come about because of excessive phone use.

In my job, I can see the lines, circles and premature ageing around the eyes from people staring at screens too much,

The sheer glare alone from a phone screen affects our eyes.

This is why our professional eye treatments are so popular with our facials, because they give an instant eye lift and the results are instantly visible.

SLEEP

The old alarm clocks got replaced fast, and many now use their phones to wake them up.

But experts say the worst thing we can bring into our bedrooms at night is our phones, they are huge sleep disruptors.

They are often the last thing at night people look at, and the first thing they see in the morning, and that’s not good.

Leaving your phone on the kitchen table at night is a great habit, and I know this is a house rule for many families.

What happened to reading a book or having a chat and talking about our day? Our personal and family interactions are hugely affected when the phones are calling all the shots.

I did one of my beauty videos on this recently, and you can watch it on our Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages.

AI ROBOTS

When I see ads or websites that have used AI, I lose interest fast, because my job is built on human interactions and no AI robot will ever have my human touch.

To get your skin fully analysed, we must touch it and feel it and work on it. I do this every day in my facials and my results speak for themselves.

Every six weeks, we change up a client’s skincare and programme with a new product that shows their progression, yet still today so many are wasting so much money repetitively buying skincare products on advice from a robot. Then they wonder why they never have clear, flawless, healthy skin.

The smart lady knows to come to the experts.

When I go to an expert in their field for anything in my life, I trust that they know more than I do and I am there to learn.

It’s sad to have to say it. but sadly far too many people like to fool themselves that they know it all and more than those of us who have studied or grafted in and profession for decades,

I am far too busy to be entertaining people who have no interest in listening and learning. I put my time into those who want the expertise and the excellent service. The clients that do listen, that can follow instruction, tend to look decades younger than they actually are.

Mobile phones are here to stay, but I hope we all learn to not let them dominate our lives so much.

There is far more value in human connections and interactions than anything a phone will have to offer us all.

Emer O’Callaghan is a multi award winning beauty doctor and skin expert, and winner of Irish Beauty Therapist of the year, who works at Emerald Organic Beauty Product Ltd, trading as Emerald Beauty Clinic. 021 4365949. A Guinot Crown Elite Clinic and Dermalogca Centre of skin Excellence, 2008-2026. Appointments only, free parking for clients. Follow us on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok.

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