Digital Ageing: The effects of Blue Light on your skin

Did you know that screen time can have a detrimental effect on your skin’s health? Yes, that’s right, that screen you sit in front of all day at work and that much-loved smartphone which NEVER leaves your side (even more so now we’re on lockdown!), are both not just bad for your eyes but also for your skin as well. If you’re serious about preventing premature ageing, read on to find out why you need to protect yourself from the potential long-term effects of blue light on your skin and just how to go about it.

Joined at the hip

Since lockdown began, most of us have found ourselves glued to our computer screens, tablets and mobile phones, desperately trying to keeping up to date with current news, social media and to feel less isolated as we’re unable to go about our ‘normal’ lives. However, what we don’t realise is that six hours or more a day of screen time will expose our skin to a significant level of blue light, which experts insist will start to show on our faces!

The problem with blue light

Although not as harmful as ultraviolet light, blue light (or High Energy Visible light) still poses a threat to our skin’s health because of it’s free radical generation. Recent studies show how not only blue light can induce oxidative stress in skin but that it also has the ability to penetrate more deeply. Add to this mix the electrostatic field that each one of our electronic gadgets create around them, and it’s no wonder how being increasingly attached to our digital devices is quickly becoming the most silent ‘ager’ of our generation.

Six hours MAX!

Let’s take a closer look at just what the potential long-term effects of blue light on your skin are:

• Spots & hyperpigmentation: Studies confirm that light emitted by digital screens produces thermal radiation that alters melanocytes (I.e. They induce pigmentation!)
• Fine Lines: Free radicals promote oxidative stress and accelerating aging. (Hello saggy skin and more visible expression lines!)
• Dryness: Dehydration is another effect produced by blue light penetrating deep into our skin.
• Irritation & Flaky Skin: The electrostatic field that all digital devices create can interfere with our skin’s natural acid balance and protective barrier.
• Dark circles: Gamma light also accelerates the appearance of dark circles, making them more pronounced.

Twelve to the rescue

Worried that you have to give up your favourite smart device to save your skin? Don’t fret! Although it’s clear that too much blue light causes premature aging, here at Twelve Beauty we have the perfect ‘screensaver’ for your skin! Despite there being many specific blue light combating products on the market, all you really have to do is make sure your beauty routine contains powerhouse products rich in antioxidants. Luckily for Twelve lovers, all our range are packed full of these free radical busting elements, but we do recommend the daily use of one or more of the following products to help keep your skin as youthful as possible in this digital age:

• Ultra Revitalising Elixir
• Ideal Moisture Level Serum
• Ideal Rebalancing Level Serum
• Ideal Brightening Corrective Serum
• Rapid Eye Treatment