It has been already known by health experts that eye strain from the blue light of digital devices for a while can cause damage to eyes, but can it damage your skin too? It has been discovered through various studies that the exposure to High Energy Visible (HEV) radiation or the so-called blue light emitted from smartphones, PCs and LED lights can cause damage to our skin and premature skin ageing.
Digital Ageing
It is not only the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight that causes damage to skin but also the artificial blue light of the screens that we are mostly exposed to. Many people are not aware of the importance of protection from blue light, that has an oxidative effect similar to UV rays.
The harmful effect of the blue component in natural daylight will be compensated to a great extent by the regenerative red and infrared radiation. If you surround yourselves more and more with digital screen lights which emit lots of blue light and lack the regenerative components, the damage caused to your skin will be irreversible.
What Is High Energy Visible Radiation?
The High Energy Visible (HEV) Radiation is the so-called blue light that is emitted by smartphones, PCs and LED lights. Recent studies have revealed that HEV rays deeply enter the dermis and cause a high development of free radical which is a significant cause for skin damage and premature skin ageing. HEV rays are less dangerous than UV radiation, but they are completely invisible and not perceptible. They do not show any immediate signs of damage.
The increased exposure to blue light will cause oxidative stress to cell structures and increased prevalence of free radicals. Thus, leading to damage of the protective functions of the skin. As the HEV rays reach our dermis and meet collagen and elastin, it results in damages like wrinkles, sagging of skin and hyperpigmentation.
How To Prevent HEV Radiation?
An effective way of preventing HEV radiation while exposed to screen light, especially from PCs, is by applying sun protection with broadband protection. Broadband protection of the entire light spectrum is an important thing that our sun care should ideally involve to protect the skin from unwanted pigmentation and premature ageing. You can choose a sun care product that contains extracts from the blossoms of summer lilac. Elements like verbascoside and echinacoside in summer lilac flowers give protection from UV and IRA rays, and reduce the effect of HEV radiation. The product containing the extracts of blueberry and cranberry are also effective for removing radicals from the skin and improving the skin’s resistance.
A wide range of products aimed at defending the skin from high-energy radiations of the sun as well as your digital screens is hitting the skincare market globally. All of these products are formulated with the ingredients as those in other antioxidant serums. Go for a blue-light specific skincare product, especially if you spend a lot of time in front of digital devices. There is no proven evidence that these skin products can completely protect your skin from blue light, but it is better to rather try to protect it with the options you have. Sunscreens that contain iron oxide and antioxidants are mostly recommended by skin experts as it will help in keeping the skin protected from blue light rays.
The LED lights used in digital camera photo flashes have also harmed your skin as the peak spectral intensity of LEDs lies in the blue region. An effective method to reduce the adverse effects with the exposure of this blue light is by changing the spectral output of the flash of your LED-based smartphone.
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