The effects of screens on the skin
The effects of screens on the eyes are becoming well known: visual fatigue, headaches, dry eyes, feeling tired, blurred vision... But what about our skin?
What is blue light?
A little reminder of what blue light is is necessary.
To fully understand, we must return to the electromagnetic spectrum, which breaks down electromagnetic radiation by frequency and wavelength, or in nanometers.
In short, among this electromagnetic spectrum, we distinguish the visible light which is the only one to be perceptible by the human eye (between 400 and 700 nanometers).
This blue light has shorter waves than those of other colors, which gives it more energy. (It is between 380 and 450 nanometers)
It is also called HEV light or HEV light.
They break down into two types:
- Turquoise light: which regulates the biological clock (circadian cycle and therefore sleep cycle). It is present in natural sunlight.
- Violet/blue light: it is the closest to UV rays and therefore the most energetic, it flickers more than the others which requires more work from our eyes and creates visual fatigue. They are mainly found in screens and LED lamps.
Blue/violet light can have negative effects on vision (going as far as AMD) but also on the skin.
How can blue light affect skin then?
Already because the blue lights have radiation close to those of UV, and therefore, at high doses, have equivalent negative effects, namely: dark pigmentation and loss of collagen, symptoms of a skin photoaging. In addition, it can promote the appearance of dark circles.
The indirect effects of screens on the skin
- Often looking at your smartphone while lowering your head creates sagging skin on the neck, this syndrome has been nicknamed "tech neck syndrome".
- Recurrent squinting can accentuate fine lines around crow's feet (eye area).
How to limit these effects?
- By wearing effective sunscreen that is effective against UVA and UVB and contains a non-chemical sunscreen (titanium dioxide).
- Test the sunscreen It will look like 50+
- To limit fine lines around crow's feet, it is essential to apply an eye contour cream.
- We can offer you the Circle Contour from MCCM.
- You can also add a special light filter to your computer screen and adjust the screen settings.
- Of course, wearing special blue light and sun glasses can help a lot.
- It is also recommended to clean your phone and keyboard regularly to avoid getting bacteria on your face.
It goes without saying that what would be most effective would be to limit your screen time, but it seems obvious that this can be complicated for many of us!
