screen time and skin damage
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
I think it’s safe to say a lot of us have found ourselves behind the screen of our smartphone, tablet, computer, or TV more than we would like in this past year. Working from home, virtual education, virtual hangouts/events, and more in-home time watching movies has really upped our screen time. With an influx of products and accessories to block the blue light rays that emit from these devices, it’s obvious that there is some damage being done from spending so much time in front of our screens. Being an esthetician and concerned about the health of my own skin as well as my clients’ I set out to research how this extra screen time is affecting our skin.
Do our devices speed up signs of aging?
There are a couple of different aging factors when it comes to looking at our phones, tablets, and computers. In my blog post “What’s giving you wrinkles” I mention how the angel of tilting your head down to view your device often or for longer periods of time can cause neck wrinkles as well as speed up facial sagging. This repetitive motion of constantly tilting your chin down to look at your phone will cause gravity to pull facial skin downward. While looking down we are also creating a neck wrinkle that over time could end up sticking around and become visible even when you aren’t tilting your head down in this way. Squinting to look closely at your devices can also cause crow’s feet or forehead lines, specifically “number 11” lines to become visible more quickly vs. normal aging time. Being mindful of the angle you view your devices and if you’re squinting or scrunch your forehead often is actually really important when it comes to preventing aging.
HEV light or high energy visible blue light that radiates from our technological devices can also cause the skin to age more quickly. This light that is naturally occurring in sunlight and found other places like bright, fluorescent lighting emits from our computers, cell phones, and tablets in a way that deeply penetrates into the skin. We already know UV light and rays from the sun are harmful to the skin so most of us do the most we can to protect our skin from sun damage like wear SPF, reapply SPF, and wear protective clothing/accessories. What we haven’t been really aware of is that we need to be protecting our skin from the light waves emitting from our technology. HEV light waves can cause damage to collagen and elastin proteins, causing the skin to lose firmness and elasticity more rapidly. This is why I suggest incorporating daily SPF into your morning skincare routine every single day, no matter what.
scrub me secret: this damaging high energy visible blue light is said most harmful or most deeply penetrating when your computer, phone, TV, or tablet screen is at its brightest. It’s recommended to sit an arm’s length from your device or hold it away from your face. Also, switch it to “night mode” or a dimmer setting when you can so less HEV light can come through and affect your skin.
Anti-aging tips:
Already seeing some early signs of aging? Not to worry! There are a few things you can incorporate into your at-home skincare routine and self-care habits to start reversing these fine lines and wrinkles while also protecting your skin from future damage. For your home care routine, I suggest adding a great eye cream, (I love PCA ideal eye) and a peptide serum for treating wrinkles (Dr. Jart or PCA). These products will incorporate perfectly into the skincare routine you already have and add wrinkle-fighting and wrinkle removing benefits to your skin within a few weeks of use. I have seen really great results with both myself and my clients in the reduction of lines and wrinkles from using these products. Seeing a trusted esthetician for monthly or bi-monthly facials can also help reverse signs of aging. Your esthetician can things like gua sha, other facial massages, microcurrent, and chemical exfoliation for cell turnover into your treatments for anti-aging results. I find these therapies, when done consistently, really give my clients a youthful and lifted look.
scrub me secret: In order to start incorporating targeted skincare products or treatments into your skincare routine, you need to have a great at-home skincare routine that suits your skin already in place. Having a consistent skincare routine such as cleanse, toner, moisturizer, SPF (for example) already in place will ensure that any added anti-aging products will work like how they are supposed to and give you the best results. Read my blog post “Optimizing your at-home skincare routine” if you need help starting a basic skincare routine.
Are our devices causing pigment spots?
This high energy visible light that’s damaging our skin’s elasticity can also cause unwanted melanin production and discoloration just like UV rays from the sun can. This is where wearing SPF, limiting screen time, and adjusting the brightness will come in handy for protecting your skin from possible dark spotting. The blue light rays emitting from our devices are penetrating deep into the layers of our skin and causing damage very similarly to UVA and UVB rays and causing melanin damage that will make its way to the surface of our skin in the future. If you work in front of a computer screen or device screen for a living I recommend checking out this blog post I wrote on protecting your skin from the sun and pull some tips from there.
scrub me secret: while researching HEV light or blue light damage from tech devices one of my main curiosities was finding the difference between this damaging blue light and the bacteria-killing blue led I use in the treatment room for acne. my research found that blue light phototherapy treatment for acne is a bacteria-killing therapy that will not damage skin or eyes due to protective eyewear and the time limit on this treatment. blue light and hev light coming from our devices is blended with other light waves and we are exposing our skin to this light more than we would the blue light phototherapy. this is why blue led therapy is beneficial and blue light from devices is not.
Pigment control tips:
Having a great vitamin C serum in your AM skincare routine is one of the best ways to brighten skin and protect it from future discoloration damage. A vitamin C serum is an antioxidant-rich serum that fights free radicals that cause skin damage. I really like both Skinceuticals’ vitamin C serum and PCA vitamin C serum. Josh Rosenbrook is a brand I also love but have not gotten to try the vitamin C yet. He also has a great blog post he wrote on Vitamin C. Other products that will help fade away facial discoloration are products like retinol or bakuchiol that speed up cell production. Bakuchiol is a retinol alternative I wrote about in my “Retinol alternatives” blog post. I personally like this ingredient better for my skin vs. retinol; I’ve been using the Ao reverse longitude serum. Retinol, while a bit more sensitizing for skin can give more rapid results as long as you use it sparingly (2-3 times a week). Many of my clients really love using retinol in their routine for both discoloration and aging. PCA skin makes a retinol serum that has extra ingredients to target discoloration. Along with a consistent home care routine and daily SPF, these skincare products will help with HEV light damage.
scrub me secret: You can ask your esthetician to use something called a woods lamp to view damage and discoloration that sits beneath the surface of your skin if you are curious about discoloration spots that may come to the surface in the future. Your skincare technician is able to view which areas of your face have the most UV light damage.
Is screen time affecting our sleep?
Staring at your phone screen or a bright device screen close to bedtime can throw off your circadian rhythm and affect your ability to fall asleep. An article by Harvard Health publishing details the effects blue light has on our ability to fall asleep and sleep soundly; it states that staring at our screens suppresses melatonin production that your body uses to help you naturally sleep. A lack of sleep can take a toll on our whole system including our skin. When circulation, lymphatic drainage, water retention, and oxygen flow are thrown off due to lack of rest then our skin reflects it by showing more visible wrinkles, looking dull, lackluster, or puffy.
https://unsplash.com/photos/jokxn-4kogA
Save your skin after a bad nights sleep:
After a poor night’s sleep infusing your body with as much hydration as possible is key. So first things first, drink a lot of water and green tea! It’s also important to get your oxygen and circulation flowing in your skin to brighten things up and de-puff any needed areas. This is where a jade roller or gua sha stone, collagen eye pads, rosewater spray, or a hydrating mask will come in handy. Put your jade roller or gua sha stone in the freezer in a little baggie to keep it clean and let it chill in there for 5-10 minutes. While the stone is cooling, saturate your face with natural rose water or a hydrating toner if you have it and apply a hydrating mask or facial oil on top of damp skin. This will help your skin get hydrated, quickly. Then, take your chilly stone or jade roller and glide it over your face. The coolness of the stone will constrict pores & blood vessels and take away puffiness. Extra points if you have collagen eye pads to apply after all this. This will save your face from looking super tired; just remind yourself to get a really great night’s sleep the following night. Try cutting down on your pre-bedtime screen time!