blue light from a computer screen causes skin damage

what is blue light doing to your complexion?

Screen time might be aging you more than you know

Have you noticed more wrinkles, worsening skin laxity and hyperpigmentation lately? It could be damage from blue light.

With the surge in screen time due to the pandemic, we are all spending more time on our devices: screen of your cell phone, computer, TV and the majority of light bulbs all emit blue light. In short, our skin is exposed to a potential source of damage for a large part of your day, every day.

Here’s all the information you need on whether artificial blue light is harmful and what you can do about it.

What Is Blue Light?

Blue light is simply light on the blue end of the visible light spectrum. This is a short wavelength which has a higher energy output and unfortunately, can cause greater damage. Blue light is found in sunlight, but just as importantly, it also emits from the electronic devices now integrated into most people’s daily lives. In fact, we are typically exposed to blue light for over 13 hours a day between our cellphone and computer screen. With the long, daily duration of exposure and the high potential for skin damage, blue light could be the next enemy number one for our skin health.

What Do We Know About The Dangers Of Blue Light?

It’s bad for our sleep quality: Blue light at night suppresses the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that affects the circadian rhythms that schedule your sleep/wake cycle. With a sleep cycle out of whack, many people don’t get enough sleep, leaving them open to health problems like depression, diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
It’s bad for our eyes: The cornea and lens don’t filter out blue light, so it goes right to the back of the eye, damaging the retina and resulting in conditions like macular degeneration.
It’s bad for our skin: Research shows blue light from electronic devices can lead to changes in your skin cells, including cell shrinkage and death that speeds up the aging process. Even exposures as short as 60 minutes can trigger these changes. When blue light stresses the skin, it reacts by producing inflammation, leading to swelling and redness. Also, free radicals are produced which harm the skin by damaging the DNA and resulting in weakened collagen and elastin. With compromised collagen and elastin, the skin becomes uneven and forms lines and wrinkles. Free radical damage also causes hyperpigmentation, leading to more signs of aging like dark spots.

How can we protect ourselves from the dangers of Blue Light?

Cut off screen time 1 hour before bed
Wear blue light blocking glasses if you must spend a lot of time in front of a screen
Use a daily SPF moisturizer with natural cocoas seed extract. Researchers have discovered that concentrated natural cocoa seed extract shields the skin from blue light damage because it helps block the skin’s blue light receptor cells. A decrease in cellular activity in these blue light receptors lowers free radical damage and boosts collagen and elastin production in the skin. Cocoa seed extract contains three beneficial, naturally occurring components: peptides, saccharides and antioxidants. Peptides are a chain of amino acids that help protect the skin from blue light stress, as well as boost collagen and elastin strengthening. Polyphenols are groups of organic compounds that have antioxidant benefits for the skin, protecting the skin from the free radicals created by blue light. Lastly, saccharides are sugars that attract water into the skin, they help prevent as well as treat the potential dehydration caused by blue light exposure.

We at Ombu Salon + Spa suggest Eminence Organics Lilikoi Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 40. This lightweight daily moisturizer is formulated with cocoa seed extract, satsuma mandarin peel and SPF 40. You can buy it along with any of our SPF collection when you next visit us, or purchase online for pick up!