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How Blue Light Impacts The Skin

64% of people are unaware of the negative impact blue light has on their skin according to Unilever.

Protecting the skin from UVA and UVB rays is no longer enough as research is now showing that blue light which is emitted from both the sun and our digital devices is also bad for the skin.

The average millennial checks their phone an average of 150 times a day with the average person spending 3hrs and 15 minutes on their phone – this is a huge amount of time exposed to blue light and this is not including the blue light from computers and laptops that we use 8 hours+ at work.

Fact: 32 hours in front of the screen (4 x 8hr workday) is the equivalent of 20 minutes in the mid-day sun.

 

What Is Blue Light?

 

Blue light has been a huge health trend in the past 18 months as we can from the number of people searching “blue light” on Google Trends in the past 5 years.

It is one of several colours in the visible light spectrum that is projected from our laptops and smartphones.

Colours from the visible light spectrum make the white light which is created by the sun also.

Similar to how ultraviolet (UV) has been linked to skin damage, blue light can also negatively impact the skin.

 

Blue Light - Google Trends

How Does Blue Light Impact Skin?

 

Research is showing that blue light from electronic devices can lead to changes in the skin cells and lead to cell shrinkage which may speed up the aging process.

Even exposures of as little as 1 hour can cause this.

Blue light was also linked to pigmentation and an increase in swelling, redness and pigment changes.

Pigmentation can be present after 3 months and inhibit melatonin generation with 30 hours of exposure to blue light able to increase inflammation levels in the skin cells by 40%.

It also may cause free radical generation in the skin with studies showing it can induce oxidative stress in live skin.

 

Why Blue Light Is More Concerning Than UVA and UVB?

Blue light can penetrate the skin deeper than UVA and UVB light and is able to reach the epidermis and dermis to the subcutis layer where collagen and elastin are.

A chemical in the skin called “flavin” absorbs blue light and the reaction which takes place during the absorption of blue light produces unstable oxygen molecules.

 

How Blue Light Disrupts Your Skins Circadian Rhythm?

Yes, you read the correctly…blue light may also disrupt the skin’s natural circadian rhythm as Estee Lauder’s scientific spokesperson, Dr Nadine Pernodet, explained:

“Results indicate that exposure to blue light at night can throw skin’s natural circadian rhythm ‘out-of-sync’, causing skin cells to continue to ‘think’ it is daytime, impacting their natural night-time repair process, which can lead to visible signs of ageing, and even dark under-eye circles.”

 

How To Protect Skin From Blue Light?

 

The same way we are now able to protect our eyes from blue light using blue light blocking sunglasses, we can protect our skin with potent anti-oxidants like the ones used in TheraDermis® Day & Night Skin Treatments.

Our skin naturally contains anti-oxidants such as Vitamin E, but they can be used up when the skin is exposed to free radicals such as pollution, UV light and other negative environmental factors.

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