Blue light effects: Time to tweak your skincare routine

Our skin is exposed to harmful rays from the sun all the time, what we ignore is the damage being caused because of blue light radiation from the electronic devices all around us. As per recent report findings, millennials check their phones at an average of 150 times a day and clock up more than 10 hours of screen time daily, – this way we're getting significantly more blue light exposure than we get from the sun alone.

It's interesting to note how spending four to eight hours every day in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the mid-day sun. To put this in a different perspective, 'seven minutes of sun exposure at 1 pm is powerful enough to induce immediate tanning,' as per the experts.

Understanding the gravity of this problem and the harmful effects it has on our skin, Rahul Agarwal, CEO, Organic Harvest says, "The protection just from UVA and UVB rays is no longer enough, as an evolving research confirms that blue light emitted from our digital devices is immensely bad for our skin. So, if you're serious about preventing premature aging, it seems to be the time to change your skincare regime and include skincare which not only protects you from outdoor harmful rays but also from indoors harmful blue light rays."

Dermatologists as well are seeing increasing data on the potential long-term harms of visible light, and in particular blue light, on our skin.

"The visible blue light is one of the major skin care concern as it contributes to premature aging, including wrinkles, worsening skin laxity, and hyperpigmentation. Blue light has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin compared to UVA rays and trigger damage. Clearly, one needs to take both indoor and outdoor approach that provides protection to our skin" says Dr Rashmi Sharma, Dermatology and Venereology, MBBS, DDVL, Dermatologist at Fortis Hospital.

Further elaborating on how the blue light damage our skin, Dr Monica Kapoor, Cosmetic and Aesthetic physician, says, "We are so much dependent on electronic devices and gadgets including smartphones, Television, computers, and laptops, it is bound to have adverse effects on not only on our eyes contributing to glaucoma and cataract, but also on skin – thereby leading to problems like hyper-pigmentation, wrinkles, dullness, melasma, skin laxity, dark spots and much more."

"Nowadays, I come across people who complain about all such problems more than they ever did. I see different patterns of pigmentation on the face which is quite disturbing."

"It is because the blue light causes the skin to produce more pigments as well as breaks and inflames the collagen in the skin, leading to skin problems including melasma, and pigmentation."

How to protect your skin from blue light damage

Must use organic sunscreen 24 x 7– whether you are stepping out of your home or while using any digital devices.

Turn on the 'night mode' or 'nightshift' setting on your phone that disables blue light, and in turn makes it easier on your eyes and skin.

Use products with organic ingredients like Aloe Vera and Kaolin Clay as they form protective layer on the skin.

Go for wide-spectrum SPF to fight the battle.

Use antioxidants like Vitamin C serums during the day time.

Oral antioxidant supplementation further works to counter the effects of blue light.