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For the longest time, protection from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays has been a big anti-aging skincare concern but now there’s something new to add to that list – blue light.
The rise in the use of tech gadgets has made photo-ageing a skincare concern we should all take seriously. Research has shown that even though the sun emits blue light, we get significantly more blue light exposure from our devices than we do from the sun.
Effects of blue light on skin
Like UVA and UVB rays, long exposure to concentrated sources of blue light energy can cause skin damage including:
- colour changes,
- inflammation,
- pigmentation, and
- weakening of the skin’s surface
- loss of skin firmness
- increase in visible lines
Simply put, blue light promotes stressors in the skin that cause photo-ageing; which is aging from exposure to light.
So now, anti-ageing skincare isn’t just about protecting your skin from the sun and free radicals from our environment but also from our digital devices.
A 2019 report found that most people, on average, spend three hours and 15 minutes on their phones a day; with millennials checking their phones an average of 150 times a day.
So unless we drastically cut down on screen time – which I might add has become worse with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, or we have to make room in our skincare routine for blue light skin protection.
And to get you started, here are face skin moisturisers you can start using now to protect your skin against blue light.
L’Occitane reformulated anti-ageing Immortelle Divine Collection
The newly reformulated anti-aging range uses two new found ingredients in the Corsican immortelle flower that stimulate collagen, densify the dermis and protect from blue light.
Immortelle Super Extract has the same skin volume benefits as synthetic retinol although it’s much gentler on skin and is 100% natural. And the Immortelle Super Aqueous Extract works together with Immortelle Essential Oil to effectively protect skin against the effects of blue light.
The Immortelle Divine Collection is a great anti-aging skincare range made even better and using it will protect your skin against photo-ageing too.
GLAMGLOW MoistureTrip
This omega-rich moisturiser helps calm irritation, soothe skin stress and reduce visible redness.
And with ingredients like cannabis stavia, a hemp seed oil that nourishes skin’s barrier, chaga mushroom, an antioxidant which protects skin against blue exposure and one of my favourite skincare ingredients of all time, hyaluronic acid for lasting hydration. All your anti-aging skincare concerns are covered.
Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense SPF 30
This lightweight cream primarily protects skin against blue-light and contains a bio-active mushroom complex that soothes your skin and reduces UV-induced redness and dryness.
It also contains green tea – a super antioxidant that helps defend skin against free radical damage. So whether it’s the skin-aging effects of your digital device or the environment, you are covered with this.
Olay Total Effects Age Defying Moisturiser SP30
This all-round moisturiser has SP30, which means it absorbs 97% of the sun’s rays protecting the skin’s moisture barrier when we’re out and about.
And still has enough in it to protect skin against the blue light of your screens.
On top of keeping skin hydrated, this Olay Total Effects Age Defying Moisturiser SP30 also reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as replenish moisture, even skin tone, enhance brightness, minimise pores, reduce dark spots, and restore skin’s firmness.
SOS SPF 50 Sun cream
This SOS SPF 50 Sun Cream is a mineral based sunscreen that uses an ultra-sheer form of Zinc Oxide to protect from UVA/UVB and blue light. It also contains Vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps fight the effects of damaging free radicals.
Katherine Daniels Skincare
Finally, there’s this aptly named Screen Time Skin Protection and Screen Time Skin Repair duo by Katherine Daniels Skincare.
The Screen Time Skin Protection uses advanced photo-ageing technology to defend, repair, and protect your skin from the damaging effects of UVA & UVB, blue light, and pollution. It contains active DNA Defence and Repair Enzymes; Camomile Extract & Tocopherol Acetate which soothes redness caused by UV radiation and pollution and brings more anti-oxidant properties to keep those scavenging free radicals under control.
The Screen Time Skin Repair contains key ingredients to help your skin function to become more active and produce more collagen and elastin, preventing the visible signs of blue light damage.
The key active ingredients encourage the skin’s function to become more youthful, naturally defending itself against the visible indications of skin ageing and repairing damage caused by blue light exposure, UV rays, and pollution
Some have argued that blue light isn’t all bad on skin. For example, it can treat acne and breakouts although the one benefit doesn’t outweigh the overall damage long term blue light exposure does to skin.
There are also small lifestyle changes that can be made to help, such as covering your phones and computers with a blue light shield to make it easier on your eyes and skin, or a simple action of activating night mode on your devices to help, and aid your sleep as blue light also affects sleep hormones making it difficult for us to fall asleep.
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