Blue Light and the Skin

How our Screens are Hurting Us

It’s no secret that unprotected and prolonged exposure to sunlight causes premature aging and damage to our skin. Most people associate this with UV light exposure, but the reality is that all visible light (UV is invisible) also contributes to the formation of free radicals on the skin. As we’ve gone into depth in this Journal before, free-radicals and ROS (reactive oxygen species) wreak havoc on the skin by stealing electrons from our skin cells, thereby causing rapid cell-degradation (ie “aging). Within visible light is “blue” light (also sometimes called high-energy visible light, or HEV) which ranges on the light spectrum from 400-499 nm, which means it has shorter wavelengths, and thus, higher energy.

Whereas UV light can only penetrate the 1st layer of skin (the epidermis), blue light penetrates deeper, into the dermis where our collagen is located. (Red light, by contrast, permeates further, down into the 3rd layer, or hypodermis, but because of its low energy, is healing and does not cause damage.) If we were to compare blue light to UV light, it is most similar to UVA in that they both create ROS, whereas UVB exerts its effects through DNA damage. The creation of ROS by blue light in the dermis can cause inflammation and the breakdown of collagen and elastin, which manifests itself on the surface in more lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness, and possible hyperpigmentation. Basically, it pokes holes in our collagen by preventing fibroblast growth (the cells that secrete procollagen and maintain the structural framework of the tissue) and breaks down our cells prematurely.

Unfortunately, we are being exposed more and more to blue light. Most office jobs involve sitting in front of a computer screen, which emits a consistent array of blue light through LED lights, which have their peak emission in the blue region. Then, when we get home, we are exposed to even more blue light from our televisions and our smartphones. Like exposure to the sun, the effects aren’t immediate and they are cumulative. We don’t notice it until the effects have already happened.

If you’re serious about preventing premature skin aging, concerning yourself with just UV exposure is unfortunately no longer enough. But there are various things we can do to protect our skin and help prevent the damage from ROS. Obviously the first thing we can do is limit our exposure. Spending less time on our phones scrolling through social media or picking up a book or magazine instead of reading on the device will not only protect our mental state, but also protect our physical skin. The less blue light you’re exposed to, the less blue light will cause ROS in your skin.

The next step would be to provide your skin a healthy and abundant dose of topical antioxidants, which scavenge free radicals and ROS before they do their damage. This is why we highly recommend products like our Extrait de Maison Rejuvenating Face Oil. Laden with the best full-spectrum Biodynamic® exogenous antioxidants, it provides the skin the tools it needs to combat the various ROS that skin encounters daily, which is why it’s wise to apply both in the morning and the evening. Tested for potency (and available for review on the product page), you can rest assured you are receiving a potent dose every time. Protecting the skin from blue light at its entry point is a good strategy for shielding the skin from potential harm. Using antioxidant-rich skincare products and eating antioxidant-rich foods will give your skin a depot of antioxidants to fight the damage from blue light and UVB throughout the day.

Other strategies include using “Night Shift” on the iPhone or “Night Mode” on other smartphones, which decrease the amount of blue light emitted from the device, which is why the screen looks more yellow when activated. Not just for the evening, feel free to have this mode on during the day as well. And, of course, always wear sunscreen, even in winter, because yes, it will protect you from blue light as well.

Sources:

• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.13803#jocd13803-bib-0015

• Rascalou A, Lamartine J, Poydenot P, Demarne F, Bechetoille N. Mitochondrial damage and cytoskeleton reorganization in human dermal fibroblasts exposed to artificial visible light similar to screen‐emitted light. J Dermatol Sci. 2018;(2):195–205.

• https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Tissue-penetration-depths-of-various-wavelengths-Figure-courtesy-of-Wellman-Center-for_fig2_256835631#:~:text=It%20is%20confirmed%20that%20wavelengths,tissue%20%5B43%2C%2044%5D.

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092318111830213