By Eleonora Zorzenone
Have you ever wondered if all the hours spent watching Netflix, scrolling through Instagram and working in front of your PC could actually be extremely damaging? Well, those hours can take a toll on our health – and not only mentally. It can also affect our eyes, our joints, and our skin.
While we are all aware of the damages of sunlight and we are gradually getting used to the fact that we need to wear SPF every day even during winter, we are not so informed when it comes to the harmful effects of blue light. And beauty companies are not focusing on the risks as much as they should.
What is blue light?
Blue light, part of the spectrum of visible light, is a high-energy, short-wavelength light (not to be confused with UVA or UVB rays) , said Dr. Shari Marchbein, a NYC dermatologist, in her blog.
It comes from electrical devices of any kind like phones, laptops and tv. Considering that we spend most of our time in front of a screen, especially, right now with lockdown and remote working, this is quite alarming.
Dr. Lily Talakoub, Board Certified Cosmetic & Medical Dermatologist, said: “Our culture is spending more and more time in front of laptops, computers, iPhones, and iPads every day. In our COVID era, we are also spending more time in front of screens and Zooms rather than with people in meeting rooms.
“The screens we use every day are large sources of blue light. Our overall day-to-day exposure is increasing and this will cause skin damage over a lifetime.”
The effects of blue light on our skin are immediate. “Blue light has a very short wavelength and high energy. It can penetrate the skin and eyes leading to eye damage, skin hyperpigmentation, and the breakdown of collagen and elastin which therefore causes skin aging,” said Dr. Talakoub.
Protect yourself
More and more beauty bloggers are starting to talk about how damaging blue light can be and how important it is to protect ourselves from it.
Ashley, skin_tings on Instagram, 23, a skincare enthusiast, said: “It seems like the skincare community and people in general don’t consider it to be as important or relevant as sun damage.
“I hope that in the upcoming future more emphasis will be placed on the effects of blue light, especially since we are all so prone to being in front of screens for hours on end.”
A few brands are already starting to promote products with the special BLU5 technology that works as a filter and helps neutralize the effects of blue light.
Ashley has tried some products with this innovative technology and said: “There is a skincare brand called Good Habit that creates products with BLU5 and I’ve had the opportunity to try them. They are actually really good.”
The skincare world is finally opening its eyes to this new threat and is starting to create more products to prevent the damages caused by blue light. We should become more educated on this issue and start talking about it more and more in order to spread awareness. As Ashley said: “If wearing SPF everyday can become a “trend” then protecting ourselves from blue light can be too!”
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