Who knew that blue light emitted from tech devices can cause accelerated aging to our skin? Not only does it affect our eyeballs and circadian rhythms, the hazards of digital screen time – specifically, the light emitted from those screens has been linked to skin damage too!
According to recent studies, as little as one hour of being exposed to blue-light emissions from our digital screens can cause oxidative stress on our skin—the kind of stress that’s been shown to cause extrinsic skin aging (wrinkles!).
If only we just spent one hour on our devices! If you’re the typical user, we spend an average of 11 hours daily exposed to blue light waves from screens. And as digital technology advances (5G), those waves will become stronger.
The 911 on BLUE LIGHT
High Energy Visible (HEV) light is a higher-frequency light, with shorter wavelengths, in the violet-blue band on the visible spectrum of light, which is why it is called blue light. Not all blue light is bad. The primary source of blue light is the sun—it’s actually why the sky is blue. Blue light from the sun helps your body regulate its natural sleep and wake cycles, and makes you feel good and peppy and energized.
But it’s the man-made sources of blue light that is the problem: fluorescent lighting that comes from LEDs, TV screens and screens on smart phones, tablets and computers. Prolonged and/or excessive exposure to blue light, which spending an average of 11 hours day, has been linked to macular degeneration, heightened eyestrain, eye fatigue, blurred vision, sleep disruption and migraines….and now, skin damage.
Little did we know that there is mounting evidence that blue light can contribute to photo-aging skin, including visible skin change in darker skin tones including redness and pigmentation, and possible stimulation of free radical production in skin – aka, premature aging, and the triggering of melasma.
Although the strength of the radiation emitted from screens is far less than that of the sun, it’s still radiation exposure. And research is still emerging on short and long-term effects. There is a drastic difference in how much exposure we now have to our digital devices then ever before.
SO, WHAT CAN BE DONE?
We can try to limit our own screen time (the iPhone’s screen time setting is a great start), but we all know that’s unlikely to happen. And some of us can’t help it; many people work on a computer for 8 hours a day for their jobs. Screen time is a fact of life. Try to be mindful and give your eyeballs a break, and keep those screens out of the bedroom.
Earth Mama Lady Face™ to the Rescue
As for your skin, the good news is that mineral sunscreens protect against blue light! But heads up: chemical sunscreens DO NOT. Only physical barriers with non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, block visible light transmission. Adding a visible light-absorber such as iron oxide to mineral sunscreens substantially lowers blue light transmittance. And, the addition of pigments to physical sunscreens greatly enhances photoprotection.
Basically, tinted, non-nano mineral sunscreen helps protect skin against that ever-present blue light. The new Earth Mama Lady Face™ tint is achieved by simply combining iron oxide with non-nano zinc oxide—that’s everything!
In the past, the push to wear sunscreen every day isn’t the whole story. Yes, you should wear sunscreen every day, but in these techno-centric times, the gold standard is TINTED, blue-light-blocking mineral sunscreen.
Lady Face is like a foundation stick disguised as sunscreen. Protecting your face from skin damage and premature aging couldn’t be easier!
Earth Mama Organics also offers other great organic products. You can find Lady Face and other excellent mindful products on their website: Earth Mama Organics
