beat the blues.
Why being bombarded by the beauty messages of social media is so bad for us all in all sorts of ways.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels old looking at these models and influencers on social media. Well, to make things worse – looking at these gorgeous humans is actually ageing us! That’s right, spending time on your device could physically be causing premature ageing.
Recently, you may have noticed some of your favourite skincare brands mentioning protection against blue light or visible light. It has become a hot topic in the skin care industry and evidence is mounting to suggest that this is contributing to a number of issues on the skin.
“Spending four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the mid-day sun”
Blue light is a high-energy, short-wavelength light that – compared with both UVA and UVB light – has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin. In fact, holding your phone right on top of the skin’s surface means it can penetrate all the way to our dermis layer, which provides structure and resilience to our skin. Within this layer, blue light radiation can break down our collagen and elastin, resulting in wrinkles and sagging skin. I know, it’s very upsetting!
Dr Murad, a leading dermatologist, explains that “spending four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the mid-day sun”.
There is good evidence to suggest that blue light stimulates the skin to produce more pigment (melasma) leading to hyperpigmentation. What this means is – holding your phone up to your ear while making a call could be damaging your skin on the side of the face, causing dark spots to appear. That also can be said for other devices in contact with or in front of the face. The research is ongoing, but what we know so far doesn’t look good for this phone-addicted generation.
Blue light is not all bad however – it plays a critical role in maintaining good health, it regulates our body’s natural sleep/wake cycle. It’s also been proven to elevate mood and helps memory and cognitive function. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t protect ourselves from it.
There are some great skincare products out there that protect against blue light or visible light – which I believe we should all be using, especially those of us that spend a lot of time in front of our devices. In addition, you can make some simple day-to-day changes such as lowering the brightness level on your screen, switching to night mode and going hands free whenever possible. Even better, put your phone down a little more this January! Phone down, chin up, beat the blues!
