How do Mobile Phones and Laptops Contribute to our Skin Ageing
Yes, phones and laptops play a big role in skin ageing. Not many people know that but it’s something to keep in mind. People are attached to their devices. Every device emits blue light that affects the skin in a variety of ways.
How long do you spend scrolling through social media pages, watching TV, or working on a laptop? The hours and hours that pass expose you to a lot of harmful blue light. The result of this continuous exposure is premature ageing.
This came about after a study was released on this matter involving blue wavelengths. Blue light emits diodes that researchers believe cause harm to the cells of the eye’s retina and brain. The study was Daily Blue Light Exposure Shortens Lifespan and Causes Brain Neurodegradation in Drosophila.
The researchers used the drosophila fruit fly that is known to share crucial cellular structures that are similar to those of humans. They exposed the flies to 12 hours of blue light and the result was fast ageing of the flies.
Most of their eye retinas and brains showed significant amounts of degradation which even affected their movement. They could no longer scale the walls around them which is common fly behavior. Those flies on the bunch that had no eyes still showed signs of damage proving seeing the light is not the only way to be harmed.
How does Blue Light Technology Affect the Skin?
How many hours a day do you spend scrolling on your smart phone? Even if you are not a social media start, you can spend the whole day scrolling through these platforms right? Prolonged exposure is proving to cause more harm to the skin and it might be time to cut back.
Blue light is a short wavelength light emitted by many LED modern devices and releases high amounts of energy. There is a reason why it’s advisable to shade yourself from direct sunlight. The sun is the main source of blue light in the world. But now, smart devices are following at a close second.
Blue light in small amounts is beneficial but that’s not the reality for most people. You can spend more than 10 hours checking your phone, or working on a laptop. Check out your favorite skin care products on the shelves next time you are in the beauty store. You note there are blue light skin care products out in the market.
What many dermatologists have noted so far is blue light affects the skin by stimulating certain conditions. A good example of this is melasma that causes more skin pigmentation. The light also affects collagen levels and the skin elastin resulting in inflammation.
Soon your skin has wrinkles, poor elasticity, and dark patches. The more you keep spending time with such devices, the worse the conditions get. It shows on your skin that you are spending too much time exposed to harmful levels of blue light. It supports the campaign to turn off devices for some time.
How to Prevent Blue Light Skin Damage?
It’s ideal to turn off devices but this is easier said than done so a better answer is how to protect the skin. Skin care products that target blue light damage are out in the market. You can act upon it before it starts to show on your skin. Pick quality serums such as Vitamin C that have antioxidants and serums formulated for blue light.
Also, even when you are not going out, apply large amounts of sunscreen. Dermatologists’ advice on using sunscreens that are rich in mineral content. Make sure SPF is one of the ingredients in the sunscreen.
Conclusion
As much as it’s probably for the best to turn off devices, the reality is this might not be possible. Still, blue light does damage the skin and you must take measures to protect it. Invest in quality blue light products.