How to deal with skin damage due to excessive screen time

Our skin is exposed to gadgets like mobile phones, laptop screens, tablets etc on a daily basis. With minimum 4-5+ hours of exposure every day, the blue light that is emitted from these screens cause a lot of damage to our eyes and skin. While for our eyes we have blue light protecting glasses, we need to start protecting our skin too. With screen time increasing due to the increased use of social media and work from home being prevalent, knowingly or unknowingly, we are all spending a lot of time in being exposed to the blue light. Studies have shown that blue lights can cause major damage to the epidermal layer of our skin. The short wavelength of this light can increase the production of free radicals in our skin, which is ultimately responsible for ageing. Young, youthful skin is now dealing with skin ageing concerns like pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles etc due to the increased exposure to blue light. Long term exposure to blue light causes photo ageing – ageing from exposure to light. While the main source of blue light is the sun and our screens just emit a fraction of the amount. However, the proximity of the devices to our skin is what plays a major role in the damage caused. It’s important to instill good skin care practices to avoid pre-mature ageing. Pro Tips on how to avoid direct blue light damage: The most obvious way to avoid blue light damage is to reduce exposure. Simple tricks like using headphones and trying to keep the phone away from the face area is effective. You can also reduce exposure by reducing the screen brightness, switching to dark mode or night mode which enhances the use of yellow light. In addition to the tricks mentioned above, its also important to follow a regular skin care regime to maintain healthy and youthful skin. Opt for skin care products which are high in vitamins, anti-oxidants. Natural ingredients along with mineral rich products can boost collagen and elastin production. Also look for ingredients like Vitamin C, Bakuchiol etc in your skin care products. They are excellent in protecting skin through blue lights. Always follow the Golden rule of applying sunscreen and SPF whether your are indoors or outdoors, regardless of the weather condition. SPF can help in preventing photo-damage. Apart from these, invest in skincare products like serums, SPF’s, Gel masks which can be applied all over the face, neck and décolleté area. Products which have anti–pollutant properties are also excellent since they include algae, sustainable sourced cacao, sugar as key ingredients. Sugar helps in creating a barrier between the blue light and the skin which ultimately protects the skin. Red Algae is also an excellent ingredient to protects ones skin from harmful rays.