Lifestyle

Is blue light from technology bad for our skin and should we be worried?


Blue light comes from our phones, computers and tablets (Picture: Getty)

We all know how important it is to protect our skin against UVA and UVB rays, but over recent years, experts have also suggested that blue light from technology could be harmful too.

According to Health.com, some skincare companies claim the blue beams coming from our devices may be contributing to skin damage or premature aging.

But how exactly does blue light cause damage to our body and can we protect against it? Especially with smartphones, computers and laptops being an integral part of 21st century life.

Skincare experts and dermatologists have shared their thoughts.

What is blue light?

Perhaps you weren’t paying attention in your secondary school physics lesson when they taught about the electromagnetic light spectrum.

Or maybe you were, but cannot for the life of you remember what blue light is.

Well, thankfully, Dr Ross Perry – medical director of CosmedicsUK – breaks it down for us.

He tells Metro.co.uk: ‘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).

‘The main source of the blue light we’re exposed to is the sun, however, we also get a significant dose from our screens and indoor lighting.’

Does it damage skin? And if so, how?

Blue light can penetrate layers of skin (Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Dr Ross adds: ‘There have been numerous reports that we, as humans, are overexposed to high levels of artificial light from the increased use of laptops, computers, smartphones and tablets and the effect this can have on our skin and the ageing process.

‘On average an office worker can spend up to 10 hours looking at a computer screen while a millennial can check their phone up to 150 times a day.

‘Therefore the blue light omitted from our devices can pose as a threat and potentially cause premature ageing as it has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin compared with both UVA and UVB light.

‘The results of this premature ageing of the skin can produce more wrinkles and a sagging appearance. If your skin is prone to getting pigmentation the blue light can also worsen it or even trigger.’

So, essentially, blue light can penetrate all the way through to our dermis layer (the one that lies beneath the epidermis).

That layer is where we find collagen and elastic, so damage to it can result in wrinkling and sagging.

There’s research to back up this damage, too.

In 2014, one study compared skin exposed to blue light with skin exposed to UVB rays (the type of ultraviolet light that’s most closely associated with sunburns and skin cancer).

While the skin exposed to blue light showed no signs of cancer growth, it did show significantly more hyper-pigmentation.

But Dr Ross stresses that because smartphones are a fairly recent development, the long-term effects on our skin remain largely unknown.

He adds: ‘There is still not vast amounts of research to fully back up these claims and I suspect in 10-15 years’ time we will be much more aware of the affects.’

Can we protect against it?

So, how do we protect our skin from blue light – especially when we are on our phone or at computers for the majority of the day?

Dr Sophie Shotter has some helpful, practical advice.

She says: ‘Blue light shields are now available for computers and phones, and are an easy way of minimising your need for protection when doing computer work.

‘You can also put your phone into night shift mode which means less blue light is emitted from it.’

Also, because studies have found blue light to induce mitochondrial DNA damage and free radical production in epithelial cells, Sophie suggests adding a protective layer to skin.

This can be in the form of an antioxidant serum, which she says ‘will help to support the skin in preventing free radical damage.’

Are our eyes at risk too?

Blue light can have adverse effects on our eyes too (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Romesh Angunawela, an eye surgeon at Ophthalmic Consultants of London, says it’s not just skin that can be affected by blue light.

He tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Blue light carries more energy to the retina and macula – the area at the centre of the retina – which has prompted some ophthalmic scientists to suggest it could increase the risk of developing age related macular degeneration.’

For those less medically clued-up, he’s referring to an eye condition which affects the middle part of your eye and can result in permanent vision loss of fine details.

But Romesh does stress that long term studies are needed to properly assess this.

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