The dangerous effects of sunlight on the skin are well known and people take all sorts of precautions to protect their skin from it like applying sunscreen and hats . However, very few people know that the blue light from the phone’s display also has negative repercussions on their skin. Your skin is one the first things people notice about you so it has to be at its best. Blue light takes away the shine and suppleness of the skin that is synonymous with youth. No one wants to look older than they really are which is what blue light will do to your skin. It will make the age-old chase to eternal youth all the more difficult for you. By the end of this, you’ll know exactly how blue light is harmful for your skin and what you can do about it.
What is Blue Light?
The electromagnetic light spectrum is made of visible and invisible light. The visible part of it is made up of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light rays that appear as white light. These light rays have different wavelengths and energy levels. Light at the red end of the spectrum has longer wavelengths and less energy while light at the violet end has shorter wavelengths and higher energy.
Blue light is one of the high energy light rays and it’s found between 380nm and 470nm wavelength range on the magnetic spectrum. This high energy is what gives it the ability to penetrate through your skin and cause damage at a cellular level.
The sun is the main source of blue light that you’re exposed to. The other source is artificial devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, LED flat-screen TVs, and LED lighting. While blue light from the sun helps run your body clock, blue light from artificial devices, especially when used at night, is harmful.
How Does Blue Light Damage Skin?
The dangers of blue light was not an issue that the older generation that lived before technology had to deal with because they were only exposed to it from the sun during the day. Today, 79% of adults in the
UK own a smartphone and they use them throughout the day and at night before they go to sleep. So much exposure to blue light can just be as damaging to the skin as the sun is.
Blue light can penetrate up to the innermost layer of the skin, the dermis, where the elastin and collagen are found to wreak havoc. Here are some of the ways blue light affects the skin:
It Ages Your Skin
The signs of aging can be accelerated by light and this is known as photo-aging. Blue light ages the skin by:
Damaging Collagen and Elastin
When blue light penetrates the skin, it causes the release of free radicals in the skin. This leads to damage to the DNA in the skin and consequently inflammation occurs. Inflammation results in the breakdown of collagen and elastin, components of the skin that keep it firm. This loosens the skin and wrinkles appear.
Causes Hyper pigmentation
Constant exposure to blue light during the day and at night from your phone causes hyperpigmentation, a sign of aging. It does this by reducing the carotenoids that give your skin colour. It also slows down the recovery of the skin barrier which leads to more pigmentation.
It Disrupts Sleep
Blue light from the sun is what keeps you alert during the day and keeps your cognitive functions at optimum performance. When you use your smartphone at night, it exposes you to additional blue light so your brain remains alert and you have a hard time sleeping.
Lack of sufficient sleep is damaging to your skin. When you sleep, blood flow to the skin increases and this helps in the repair of collagen which reduces the appearance of wrinkles and age spots (hyper pigmentation).
How Can You Protect Your Skin from Blue Light?
If abandoning your smartphone is not an option for you, consider getting filters for your phone that are skin protectors
against blue light. These are screen protectors that are specialized to filter blue light before it reaches your skin. They are made from a strong tempered glass that can be fitted on your screen. There are different types of screen protectors available for all types of smartphones and for your laptop and desktop screen.
Get your blue light screen protector today to maintain your glowing and beautiful skin!