What is blue light?
Blue light is a color, which is part of the spectrum of visible light. It can be seen by human eyes.
Blue light is a short wavelength light (different from UVA and UVB rays), which significates that it can produce high amount of energy.
Where is it?
There are basically 2 types of blue light: Artificial Blue Light and Natural Blue Light.
Artificial Blue Light
can be found in digital screens (phones, computers, laptop, TV’s..), LED, fluorescent lighting, and electronical devices.
Natural Blue Light is known to be everywhere around us, and its primary source is known to be the Sun.
Natural vs Artificial Blue Light:
| Natural Blue Light (the hero 😊) | Artificial Blue Light (the monster😊) |
| -help our bodies to regulate its sleep and wake cycles (circadian rhythm) -increase our moods -increase our well-being feelings -helps boosting memory -helps with cognitive function -boosts alertness …. | -Disrupts the body’s sleep and wake cycles (=circadian rhythm) -Hardens focus – Can be the cause of certain types of cancer -May cause permanent eye damage -Headaches ….. |
What about… my Skin?
Did you know that your computer, tablet, phone… could affect your skin?
Besides all the harms Artificial Blue Light can do to your body, this one can also affect your precious skin.
| Artificial Blue Light Skin harms |
| -Age your skin (fine lines and wrinkles -Pigmentation (reformuler) – The best evidence we have is that blue light “contributes to brown spots on the skin and hyperpigmentation such as melasma, and possibly to photoaging and the breakdown of collagen, which leads to wrinkles and skin laxity,” |
Some Scientifical Research:
As we know now, Artificial Blue Light is damaging skin, the damaging effects will be visible over time, just like sun exposure.
Ageing effect:
– According to a study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science blue light damage the skin cells thus accelerating the process of premature ageing (causing fine lines and wrinkles).
Free radicals:
-According to a study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity in 2015 , skin exposure to blue light may generate free radicals in skin, which leads to premature ageing (fine lines and wrinkles).
Hyperpigmentation:
-According to another study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science
Skin color:
-According to this same research above, blue light changes the skin colour, it can have darkening and/or reddening effects.
How can this blue light affect your skin?
| Did you know that… Blue Light can be more dangerous than booth UVA and UVB!? Did you now that blue light can penetrate deeper in your skin compared with UVA and UVB? |
Blue light has the ability to penetrate deeper than UV’s, passing through the epidermis and the dermis (where our collagen and elastin live).
Penetration of blue light in the dermis cause damage to the skin cells, which lead to premature ageing (fine lines and wrinkles) as a result.
How can you protect from it?
- Prevention
Firstly, start by preventing it. Start by minimising your overall screen time.
2. Covering your devices
Cover your devices (computer, phone, tablet, Tv..) with a blue light screen protector.
3. Go to settings
Some devices have settings where you can disable blue light (it is generally the “the night mode” where blue light is generally replaced by yellow light)
4. Diet
Having a healthy diet, rich in antioxidants from organic, fresh vegetables can raise your skin’s protection against oxidative environmental damages such as HEV (blue light).
5. Skincare
-Apply topical antioxidants: such as vitamin C and E. When exposed to blue light, our skin’s natural antioxidants are depleted (which is a fact causing premature ageing). Thus, topical application of antioxidants can help and prevent from blue light’s harms (such as premature aging).
-Non-nano zinc oxide: which makes a protective barrier for the skin. (nano zinc oxide is proved to be harmful for skin, whereas for non-nano zinc oxide, I could not find any detailed research proving them to be harmful for now on 😊
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