If you’re a skin care aficionado and obsessively making sure that you're lathering up on SPF daily (as we should all be doing...) you may have heard about blue light, and the effect it has on your skin. What most people don’t seem to be aware of though, is that blue light doesn't just seep into skin from our screens *shock horror. *
With that in mind, we’re here to set the record straight, and impart our selection of the best blue light skin care, so you can learn how to protect skin from blue light.
First up: What is Blue Light?
Have you ever caught the light reflecting against a ring or glass and noticed the gorgeous rainbow that deflects off it? Have you ever noticed a blue shadow in that line up? Well, that’s blue light.
High in energy and frequency, blue light is a component of the natural light spectrum and has a wavelength between 400-500 nanometres. Classified as High Energy Visible (or HEV) light, it poses potential skin harm from free radical generation — the impact of which may be greater that the impact UV light has on skin. How? Because it penetrates deeper into the skin's dermis. This dear reader, is where collagen and elastin live — meaning blue light can cause a loss of firmness and an increase in visible lines.
To Tech Or Not To Tech?
We’ve all read the countless articles on blue light and how it damages our skin and our eyes...anti-blue light glasses anyone? But, the actual stats beg to differ. Although yes, our precious phones, TVs and laptops do emit HEV light, they account for only 4% of your daily exposure. The other 96% of blue light exposure comes from the sun. So, although limiting screen-time is never a bad idea, the latest research has shown us that it isn’t as big a risk factor as we once thought...
Blue Light Therapy vs Blue Light
With our ever-growing obsession with keeping our skin looking as good as possible, many have been turning to skin-tech to really delve deeper into their skin care routines. From laser therapies to LED masks and more, the question is: ‘is blue light therapy good?’
With various of options on the market – Déesee's Pro LED Mask Next Generation to Solaris Laboratories’s How To Glow 4 Colour LED Light Therapy Mask and FaceGym’s Acne Light Shot, – it’s important to understand how they work.
It all comes down to controlled and uncontrolledwavelengths. Research has shown that blue light skin care at a controlled 415 nanometres is beneficial in aiding acne and scarring. This is because the bacteria that causes those annoying zits are photosensitive. So, applying blue light skin care with controlled exposure causes a decrease in the bacteria in acne and overall inflammation. Not only that, but it can also help treat other skin conditions including precancerous lesions. This, however, is not the same assitting out by a pool where blue light from the sun has a much broader spectrum. It’s the full spectrum, rather than a single wavelength, that causes the acceleration of photoaging, and other skin concerns related to blue light.
So, How To Protect Your Skin From Blue Light?
We’ve said it once, and we will say it again: SPF, SPF, SPF.
But not just any SPF.
It is important to choose an SPF that has broad spectrum protection, and not just UV. As mentioned previously, it is the broad spectrum of blue light that sinks deeper into the skin dermis causing damage. So, stocking up on sunscreens that have broad spectrum protection is the best way to go.
Interestingly, SPFs with a tint are also winners. Ideal for ‘no make up make up looks’, or when you’re just about to dash out of the door and are short on time, these multi-taskers are perfect for protecting against blue light. How? By being formulated with Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide. It’s these physical SPF ingredients that reflect rays off the surface of the skin and offer broad protection against UV and high-energy visible light. (Confused about chemical and physical sunscreens? Read our guide to SPFs here.)
It doesn’t end there though... antioxidants offer an added layer of protection. As blue light has been shown to cause oxidative stress on the skin, layering up on topical antioxidants – such as vitamin C and ferulic acid help to fight both free radicals and pigmentation. A broad-spectrum SPF that’s infused with vitamin C? That might just be a match made in skin care heaven...
And lastly, keeping your skin happy and healthy means it keeps you happy and healthy. So, make protecting your skin barrier a number one priority. Using good for skin ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and ceramides won’t ever go amiss in your routine... we promise your skin will thank you for it!
