Is Excessive Screen Time Affecting My Skin?

Most of us spend a significant chunk of our time looking at digital screens, be it our phones, television, laptop screens, or monitors because digitalization has transformed the modern world. These digital screens, however, are dangerous for us because they emit artificial blue light.

Blue light has several adverse health effects that include eyestrain, headaches, disturbed sleep cycles, and more. Blue light also affects your skin. However, a study shows more than 64% of people don’t know this. Research also proves the effects of blue light on human skin. In this blog, let’s take a look at how blue light affects your skin, its consequences, and how you can minimize blue light’s effect on the skin.

Effects of Blue Light on Skin

As per research, scientists found blue light can affect the skin adversely in many ways, causing swelling, redness, pigment changes, irritation, and immature aging of skin cells that can make you appear older.

Research also shows that people with darker skin are more prone to damage from blue light. This is because the penetration of blue light in darker colors is more significant. When blue light penetrates through the skin, it can lead to DNA damage and can break down elastic fibers and collagen in the skin.

Signs of Blue Light Damage on Skin

Some of the most common signs of blue light damage on the skin include:

• Redness
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Irritation
• Swelling
• Changed pigmentation
• Wrinkling of skin (immature aging)

Ways to Protect Skin from Blue Light

You can take several preventive measures to save your skin from blue light damage. These include:

Cut Down Screen Time

The best way to combat artificial blue light is to cut down screen time if you can.

If you spend most of your time in front of a laptop or computer screen because your job requires you to, try taking breaks to prevent continuous exposure to blue light. However, if you’re spending a lot of time scrolling on your phone or watching TV in your leisure time, you can take several measures to cut down your screen time.

Reducing even an hour or two of screen time daily can slow down the damage and effects of blue light on your skin.

Use Sunscreen

According to experts, you should be applying sunscreen daily. Physical sunscreen is even better than a chemical sunscreen as it blocks the blue light from reaching the surface of your skin. This is because this type of sunscreen contains titanium oxide and zinc oxide, which protect against UVA and UVB rays and blue light.

Titanium oxide and zinc oxide are considered safe for use and are approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration Authority (FDA)

UVA and UVB rays are found in sunlight, and most people think sunscreen should be used only when stepping out, like going to the beach or a football match. However, you should apply physical sunscreen even if you plan to work from home for the day. Ideally, apply sunscreen that’s SPF 30 or more.

Use Skin-Care Products

There are some skin-care products available on the market which advertise protection against blue light. However, there’s insufficient research or evidence to back their claims. These products are safe to use on the skin as they have been approved by the FDA, but protection against blue light is not guaranteed.

Brands that offer such products without transparency have caused controversies. A famous YouTuber was criticized for his involvement with one such brand, which was reported by the Washington Post as well.

Lower Your Screen Brightness

The higher the brightness of your screen, be it your phone, laptop, tablet, or monitor, the more blue light it will emit. Experts recommend using your screens at the lowest possible brightness where you can easily see.

Lowering the brightness too much can also cause eye strain because your eyes won’t be able to focus easily. This is why keeping the right balance is important.

Use Blue Light Filters

Arguably the best way to reduce your exposure to blue light without any effort is to use blue light filters on your screens.

Blue light filters, also called anti-blue light protectors or blue light blockers, are specifically designed to fit perfectly over all types of screens, including your mobile phones, tablet screens, laptop screens, monitors, and more. These filters block the blue light your screens emit and reduce your exposure to harmful rays.

Using blue light filters not only protects your skin from damage but also protects your eyes and benefits your overall health. For example, blue light filters enhance the contrast of your screen. This makes the objects on the screen appear sharper and allows your eyes to focus easily. This helps in reducing eye strain despite looking at screens for longer hours. Having continuous eye strain can result in headaches or trigger migraine if you have it.

Another proven benefit of using blue light filters is getting better sleep. Blue light can alter a person’s natural circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythm is the natural cycle and tells a person when they are tired and should sleep.

Disrupted circadian rhythms often lead to sleeping disorders like insomnia if not treated properly. Using blue light filters can prevent you from getting your circadian rhythms disturbed.

If you’re planning to get blue light filters for your screens, My Blue Protector is the best place to shop at.

We are a renowned blue light filter manufacturer in the United States and can ship our products all over the country. We offer blue light filters for iPhones, iPad, or MacBooks. We also have anti-blue light screen protectors for Samsung devices, Nintendo Switch, and other laptops and screens.

Get in touch with us now to get your blue light blockers today!