How To Protect Your Skin From The Effects Of Blue...
- December 11, 2021
In today’s digital era, we spend more time than ever glued to the screens, whether it is for work, leisure, or socializing with friends. Keeping aside the various adverse effects of screen usage on your brain, eyes, and overall health, many of you might be unaware that the more time we spend in front of digital devices, the more damage we may be causing to our skin. Yes, you heard it right! Blue light released by the sun and our digital devices is as harmful to our skin as UVA and UVB radiations are.In fact, blue light has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin when compared to UVA and UVB light. So, it’s high time that we protect our skin from the harmful effects of blue light.
What Is Blue Light?
Let’s get to the basics first! HEV light, often known as blue light, is a high-frequency, short-wave light with wavelengths ranging from 400 to 450 nanometers in the violet/blue band. It makes up half of the solar spectrum and is the only component of the light that can be seen with the naked eye. The sun is the source of most of our blue light exposure, but it’s also emitted by cellphones, tablets, televisions, and fluorescent and LED bulbs used in interior illumination.
During the day, natural exposure to blue light from the sun can help you stay alert, boost your memory, and improve your mood. Staring at digital gadgets late at night, on the other hand, might disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm, making it difficult to obtain a decent night’s sleep.
What are the harmful effects of blue light on the skin?
The blue light emitted by screens has an effect on our skin as well as our biological clocks. Blue light may enter the epidermis and dermis of the skin, as well as the subcutis layer, significantly deeper than UV radiation and suppress melatonin production, raise stress hormone levels, and stimulate nerves, disrupting sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. Skin cells can become 40% more inflammatory after 30 hours of exposure to blue light from smartphone or laptop screens.
As the skin is more susceptible to oxidative stress, even short-term exposure to blue light from electronic gadgets can “boost the formation of reactive oxygen species.” Blue light is also known to penetrate the skin deeper, causing key proteins to be damaged, resulting in wrinkles and loss of skin firmness. Moreover, premature aging, pigmentation, eye damage, cataracts, cell shrinkage, wrinkles, and photodamage are all caused by blue light.
How can you protect your skin from blue light?
Given that both sunshine and our digital devices generate blue light, it is clear that an indoor and outdoor approach is required. Before you make any changes to your skincare routine, make sure you use blue light protectors on your phones and computers. It’s a simple remedy that eliminates the need for skincare or sunglasses when using your phone or tablet. Some devices include an option that blocks blue light in favour of yellow light, which is friendlier on the eyes and skin. If your phone has this feature, make use of it to save your skin and eyes from the harmful blue light.
Once you have guarded your skin against the blue light emitted by devices, you can engage yourself in a skincare routine to restore your skin from the damage caused by these radiations. Vitamin B6, C, and antioxidant-rich skincare products, as well as niacinamide and zinc oxide, should be sought out. Zinc Oxide is a mineral that forms a protective barrier on the skin. Vitamin C protects and heals skin cells from oxidative damage caused by blue light. Vitamin B6 prevents the depletion of antioxidants generated by visible light and efficiently reduces oxidative stress. Niacinamide protects against skin damage caused by blue light by restoring skin surface cells from oxidative stress generated by blue light. These products can reduce or neutralize blue light while also restoring skin to guard against blue light to prevent skin darkening and wrinkles.