We all know that the sun's harmful UV and UVB rays are the primary causes of premature aging. For this reason, we always advise to have sunscreen as a vital part of your daily skincare routine. What is less known, is the impacts of blue light on our skin. New research has found additional evidence that the blue light emitted by our screens can cause significant damage to our skin health. In this blog post we will learn more about how blue light is harming your skin health.
What is blue light?
Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum that is emitted by the sun, along with indoor lighting, and electronic devices. The light wavelength ranges from 380 to 500 nanometres. While most of the blue light we are exposed to comes from the sun, our society’s dependence and connection to digital media is bringing up the world average. Now an average person spends more than 11 hours a day interacting with digital media. Suddenly the blue light emitted from artificial sources can cause a problem. Especially considering how many of these electronic devices we keep close to our face and heads.
How does blue light affect our health?
Blue light can cause diseases including dry eye, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. In addition, it can affect hormone production, creating an imbalance, and negatively impact sleep quality.
How does blue light affect our skin health?
Some studies have found that skin, once exposed to visible blue light, experiences more swelling, redness, and pigmentation. This points towards visible blue light causing DNA damage and the breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers. Collagen is responsible for keeping our skin flexible, smooth, and supple. If collagen is broken down wrinkles and other signs of aging will appear. One small study February 2015 in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity found a connection between blue light exposure and the production of free radicals in skin. Free radicals in the skin are linked to premature signs of aging.
How can you protect yourself from blue light?
The best way to protect yourself from blue light is to limit your screen time. There are also screens you can place on your phone or laptop that can block or dim blue light. Alternatively, certain phones have a setting that allows you to filter out the blue light. Other options include reducing screen brightness, wearing headphones, and keeping your device further away from your skin. Interestingly, wearing sunscreen can also help limit oxidative stress. A minimum of SPF 30 sunscreen that uses zinc instead of chemical components to block harmful sunlight can block blue light. Therefore, we encourage investing in high quality physical blocking sunscreens in your daily routine.
Can you mix the damage caused by blue light to your skin?
The primary impact of exposure to blue light is reactive oxygen breaking down collagen. To help boost your collagen production, you will want to incorporate peptide-based treatments and skincare products that contain antioxidants such as vitamin c. Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) helps battle oxidative stress caused by visible light. Check out our favourite Vitamin C products and our previous blog posts that show you how to choose the best vitamin C skincare. In addition, you may want to consider booking yourself into our new Peptide based Nano RF treatment. This treatment can help a variety of skincare conditions and help improve the overall appearance of your skin.
