Can Blue Light Damage Your Skin?

Blue light damage, may be something you’ve heard of since working from home became the norm in 2020, many people were more aware of their screen time and how that impacted their mind and eyes. Some brushed it off as a myth, some invested in trendy blue light glasses to only remember to wear them once a month, and some, well, never heard of the dangers at all! 

But possible blue light damage goes beyond just your eyes, your skin can also be negatively impacted by these lights emitting from our screens. Today I’m going to talk you through the possible impacts blue light could have on your skin, and some products that can help prevent it.

What is blue light?

Blue light is one of the visible light shades on the spectrum that makes up the white light we know as sunlight. It can have its benefits such as boosting alertness and helping your memory, however too much exposure to blue light can have harmful effects. Our phones, tablets and laptops are major sources of intense blue light emission, and we are all guilty of being a little too attached to these devices…

What harm does it cause my skin?

So, with working from home on your laptop, to taking a break on your phone and then watching a movie in the evening, screens are all around us, meaning, so is blue light. Over exposure to blue light in a close proximity (like typing on your laptop or holding your phone close to your face) can impact your skin negatively in ways you may not have thought.

According to Dermalogica, Blue light can penetrate deep into the skin and break down collagen, which causes a loss in elasticity. Too much blue light can cause pigmentation issues such as dark spots. In an article in Harper’s Bazaar they mention that blue light can also impact your skin cells repair cycle. They explain that exposure to blue light too late at night can cause your skin cells to think it’s still day time and this can impact the natural repair process they go through at night, causing under eye circles and signs of ageing. Who knew!

So, how do I protect my skin from blue light?

Protecting your skin from blue light rays is all about having the right products in your skincare routine.

The first item you should make sure is in your routine not only when you’re going to be exposed to blue light, but every day is SPF! You’ve heard it before but we will never stop highlighting the importance of SPF in a skincare routine. According to Dermalogica, an SPF with Zinc Oxide in it helps to protect against blue light. This can be found in the Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense SPF30. It is so important to make sure you wear your SPF even if you’ll be inside all day, because now you know your skin is still exposed!

Topical antioxidants in your skincare routine are also said to help counteract the effects of blue light. These include vitamins A, C, E, green tea etc.

A product that has all three of these vitamins is the Dermalogica AGE Smart Multivitamin Power Firm. With powerful benefits for anti-ageing and repair of sun damage, it’s not a reach to believe it’d have an effect on blue light damage too.

Another product green tea can be found in is the Skinician Revitalising Cleanser, with grape-seed oil and green tea extract to act as anti-oxidants, protecting the skin against environmental damage and chamomile to calm, sooth and reduce redness. With all of these benefits it wouldn’t do any harm to test this product out!

Vitamin A can be found in the Skin Formulas Vit A - Vitamin A Restore Serum A Formula. This night-time treatment helps to improve hyperpigmentation and stimulate the skins collagen and elastin production.

Vitamin C is excellent for protecting against UV rays and can be found in Reform Skincare Vitamin C 20% Serum. The antioxidant formula has preventative benefits resulting in an effective solution to protect against free radicals and environmental damage, as well as brightening up your complexion.

Aside from skincare there are other ways you can protect yourself, blue light screen protectors and glasses are helpful on top of your skincare routine. You can never be too careful!

Now you have all the details you can start preventing, any excuse to buy more skincare is a plus, right? For that you’re welcome! Now get shopping to protect your skin.