With more screen time spent during the pandemic, it has become more than important to protect our skin from blue light emitted from computer monitors and phones.
Most people are aware of how blue light might affect our eyes such as blurry vision and dry eyes, to headaches and neck pain so blue light blocking glasses are recommended to ease our digital eye strain, according to the American Optometric Association.
As screen time continues to rise, experts are now becoming concerned about the effects of blue light on skin, and whether our screens can damage our entire faces, not just our eyes.
According to Dr.Vivian Bucay, a board-certified dermatologist in San Antonio, “Visible light, especially blue light is a major contributor to aging and dark spots. And because we’re always using our phones and sitting in front of computer screens for longer periods of time, we’re being exposed to more visible light than ever before.
What Is Blue Light?
All visible light we humans see contains the entire spectrum of the rainbow, from red to violet. Within that spectrum are blue light waves, which are said to help us stay alert and upbeat.
Any source of visible light gives off blue light waves, whether it's the sun, a touchscreen or a light bulb.
Blue light is one of the wavelengths of visible light, and visible light is one of the components of sunlight, also known as the solar spectrum or the electromagnetic spectrum. The solar spectrum is comprised of electromagnetic rays of different wavelengths, which range from short wavelength to high energy ultraviolet radiation (i.e., UVC, UVB, UVA) to visible light (VL), and long wavelength, low energy, infrared radiation (IRR).
Blue light is the highest energy light in the visible spectrum, says Dr. Michele Farber of Schweiger Dermatology Group in NYC. It's generally defined as visible light from 380 to 500 nanometers. Other types of visible light fall below that on the electromagnetic spectrum, and UV light, which is invisible radiation, falls above blue light with wavelengths of 100 to 380 nanometers.
Blue light's high energy "gives blue light the ability to penetrate more deeply into the dermis than wavelengths with lower energy,". Blue light, also called HEV light for "high-energy visible" light is mostly known for its emittance from screens, such as on laptops, phones and TVs.
How Does Blue Light Affects Our Skin?
Based on the research in Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering, blue light has been proven to speed up signs of aging, including hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles.
Research shows that blue light exposure can lead to oxidative damage in the skin. This oxidative stress accelerates collagen breakdown and can cause fine lines, wrinkles and bags. The damage is further accelerated by squinting (moving the muscles around the eyes a lot which creates fine lines). In addition, inflammatory hyperpigmentation conditions of the skin such as melasma, can also be exacerbated with blue light.
In short, blue light can potentially damage skin in a number of ways:
- Induces oxidative stress, which can lead to inflammation and collagen degeneration
- Disrupts activity of melanocytes, which leads uneven and excessive pigmentation
- Contributes to photoaging, or skin aging induced by light waves (the same thing that happens when you spend time in the sun)
- Weakens the outermost layer of your skin and delays its recovery from daily skin stressors
How To Protect Your Skin From Blue Light
1) Wear blue-light blocking glasses to at least protect your eyes and the delicate skin surrounding your eyes.
2) Keep night mode enabled on all of your devices at all times to reduce blue light emittance in favor of gentler yellow or orange light. You could also purchase a blue light shield for your computer.
Where To Purchase : Amazon
3) Wear SPF daily. Sunscreen is your best protector against photo-aging and skin damage, because the sun is the most significant source of light and radiation. Chemical sunscreen ingredients aren't known to block HEV light, but the physical blockers -- titanium dioxide and zinc oxide -- might.
Tinted sunscreens may offer an extra element of protection because they often contain iron oxides, which increase the spectrum of light blocked.
My Recommendations :
Blue light protection skincare works by physically blocking the light and fighting off free radicals formed by blue light before they can wreak havoc on your skin (photoaging, collagen breakdown, sagging, dark spots, etc.).
For best results, look for products that contain zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, iron oxide and/or antioxidants such as vitamin C as key ingredients, suggests Dr. Kellie Reed, Austin-based board-certified dermatologist.
Even products with green tea polyphenols, Coenzyme Q, resorcinol and vitamin E would work well, says Dr. Katina Miles, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin Oasis Dermatology (SOD).
Dermatologists' recommendations :
I have tried IDS Dermashield Serum but I'm not a fan of its texture, but who knows, it may work for you.
To conclude, while certain skincare products may help protect your skin against blue light damage, but the bottom line is that everyone could do with a little less screen time: Fewer hours spent scrolling can be good for your eyes, your mind, your posture and perhaps your skin, too.
And please do me a little favor and share this post with others, for there's a good chance that it will help them with their skin.
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