Blue Light Changes Skin
Do you spend a considerable amount of time on your cell phone, laptop, or watching TV? The blue light in these types of electronic devices is extremely harmful to our health. Let’s discuss it in detail.
It seems that with every new day comes a new environmental factor that is proven to be harmful to our health. Whether it is pollution, radiation, UV rays, or chemicals, there are a lot of ways that our skin can be damaged. But, one of the most harmful factors is something that is barely spoken about, and yet we are exposed to it all of the time. This factor is blue light.
Blue light comes from sources such as cell phones, laptops, and TV screens. Our skin is exposed to this every day, especially in the age of technology where we are constantly looking at our cell phones.
But what is blue light exactly? What are the dangers of blue light? What happens to our skin when we are exposed to blue light? How can we protect ourselves?
That and more will be answered below, in this article.
What is blue light?
Blue light is defined as being the light in the blue end of the visible light spectrum. It falls within a wavelength of 400 to 450 nanometers, which is a short wavelength but has higher energy (the reason that it can cause serious damage to our bodies). Blue light is often found within sunlight (which is another reason as to why you should always wear sunscreen), but it is found predominantly in electronic devices like cell phones and laptops.
Due to the fact that we are in a generation that uses technology and electronic devices all of the time, most people are exposed to blue light throughout the better part of their day. The average person is exposed to blue light for about six hours a day!!
Being exposed to it for long periods of time can have serious effects on our skin health.
Blue Light And Its Impact On Health
At first, blue light was linked to individuals having restless or sleepless nights. This is in part due to the fact that many people scroll through their cell phones while in bed. The blue light, in fact, stunts the production of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps regulate sleep patterns. Therefore, decreasing the amount we actually sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, or have a restless night, there are a ton of health problems that can come along with it. Some of these health problems are depression, anxiety, and diabetes. Not to mention the impact on our skin. Healthy skin requires healthy sleep as well.
Blue light can also negatively affect your eyes. Our cornea and lens filter in our eyes do not filter out blue light, which causes it to stay in the back of our eyes. This can cause extreme damage to the molecules in our retina. When the retina is damaged in your eye, your sight may become compromised.
Blue Light And Our Skin
As mentioned earlier, blue light has an impact on our skin health.
Although, many of the damage that blue light causes to the skin is not immediate, over time we have seen many people suffering from its negative effects. Studies have shown that blue light can cause premature aging like wrinkles, fine lines, skin laxity, and hyperpigmentation. Many studies have also shown that it, the blue light from the sun, can cause redness and swelling, and at times can negatively impact the skin more than UVA rays. Lastly, it’s been shown that blue light may play a factor in free radicals that are produced in our skin. Free radicals damage our skin and cause premature aging and loss of collagen.
Blue Light Protection
Although the best way to be sure to protect ourselves from blue light would be to throw away all of our electronic devices and never go out in the sun, that is a bit extreme and likely to not occur.
Here are some simpler ideas:
- Wear a broad-spectrum and strong SPF product on your skin. At Magic Laser and Aesthetics, we recommend Lilikoi Light Defense Face Primer from Eminence Organic Skin Care. This face primer has an SPF of 23 and is formulated with all organic ingredients.
- If your skin has already shown some negative effects of blue light damage, laser skin tightening is an amazing non-invasive procedure that works to enhance collagen production and the overall look of your skin. The GentleMax Pro laser works by causing thermal injury below the epidermis of the skin, which results in a wound healing response in the upper papillary dermis. This will effectively remodel the body’s collagen and regenerate skin cells damaged by blue light. This treatment can not only dramatically enhances skin texture and reduces fine lines but reverses signs of aging for an overall firmer, youthful appearance.
At Magic Laser and Aesthetics, here in Toronto, ON, we are passionate about skincare and protecting our skin from harmful environmental factors. As skincare specialists, we pride ourselves on carrying the absolute best in skincare products, as well as offering the latest and most revolutionary laser technology that can improve the overall look of skin.
For a list of our latest Eminence products please click here, and for a list of our laser services, please click here.
If you have any questions, please contact us to learn more about skincare.
