Did you know that the blue light from your computer, phone, etc. is changing your skin every day?
Clients are coming in for facial treatments and we’re hearing a lot of the same concerns. “What is going on with my skin”? Why do I have brown spots on my skin”? “My skin is looking old”!
It’s not your imagination. The changes you are seeing are real. Your skin is changing on a cellular level. Why?
The answer is blue light. With the pandemic, a lot of women started working from home. That means hours on the computer, and phones held up to their faces.
People are spending 5 hours or more, in front of some kind of digital device and the damage is now showing up on the skin.
Blue light can penetrate the skin more deeply than UVA and UVB rays. All those selfies you are taking are causing your skin to age at a faster rate than it has to!
Ok, we have to get the scary stuff out of the way before we can get on to the good stuff for your skin. Here we go!
Here’s what’s happening when you’re sitting in front of screens.
- Even 60 minutes exposed to blue light causes the cells to start changing, which speeds up the aging process.
- Because blue light penetrates the skin so deeply, the damage goes much deeper as well. This results in damaging the protein which results in wrinkles and loss of firmness.
- Increased pigmentation (brown spots) is even darker than what you would get from the sun.
- DNA cell damage, skin barrier damage, and photo-aging.
- Free radical damage. Think of free radicals as poking holes in your collagen. Your collagen is what keeps your skin firm.
- Oxidative stress which is caused by free radicals. Think of oxidation as rust on a car. Not a pretty picture!
- Blue light also affects the retina in your eyes, which reduces melatonin, so it messes with your sleep.
- Whatever side of your face you’re holding your phone to, the skin will be more damaged.
How can you start reducing blue light damage on your skin today? Start here.
- Cut down on your phone screen time. If you’re working from home, and that’s hard to do, try to take a 5-minute break every 1/2 hour.
- Use your phone speaker, or earbuds when you talk on the phone. Keep it off of your face.
- No mindless scrolling for hours!
- Blue light filters for your screens. Amazon has lots of choices.
- Blue light blocking glasses. I have them, and you get used to them quickly!
- Switch devices to nighttime mode. It emits a lot less blue light.
Protect Your Skin – When you’re in front of the screen, your skin thinks you’re in the sun.
SPF ON YOUR FACE EVERY DAY EVEN INSIDE THE HOUSE! That’s your number one line of defense!
ANTIOXIDANTS. A Vitamin C serum or cream will put the brakes on free radical damage.
Just doing these 2 things will help tremendously to protect your skin from daily cumulative blue light damage.
Skin damage comes in ways least expected sometimes. Who would have thought our computers and smartphones could be contributing to it?!
Now you can stop the damage and even reverse it by putting some good skincare practices in place.
Start today protecting your skin inside and out and putting a halt on blue light damage.
Down the road, you will be glad you did!
Until next time,
~pat
