HOUSTON – Whether it’s for work, study or to connect with people, since the pandemic started folks have been more glued to their smart-phones and computer screens than ever.
However, that can create other problems due to more exposure to blue light.
Dr. Sherry Ingraham, dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology, explained the hazards involved and simple ways to protect yourself and your family from these rays.
“Now we know it has a negative impact on our skin because it’s essentially upsetting our collagen. We can get wrinkles, we can get spots,” said Ingraham.
“Evolving research has shown that blue light can be bad for skin. Long-term exposure to concentrated blue light energy can cause skin damage, including color changes, inflammation, and weakening of the skin’s surface. Blue light promotes stressors in skin that cause photo-aging; that is, aging from exposure to light,” said Ingraham.
“We spend so much time using our devices, holding them close to our face and eyes, it adds up—that’s where health issues arise,” said Ingraham, who suggests paying attention to the younger population, including Millennials and Gen-Z who check their smartphones even more frequently.
“They’re at a much higher risk of blue light exposure each and every day,” she said.
Here are her recommendations to reduce the negative effects of blue light.
1. Turn on the blue light filter on your phone
“You can filter the blue light by turning on “night shift” on your iPhone or “night mode” on your Android,”" she said.
2. When using digital devices, wear glasses with blue light filter
“Go online and order inexpensive blue light blocking glasses. You can also get blue light blocking goggles for $2 and wear them when using your laptop in bed. These are going to shut out the blue color on screens, devices, even fluorescent lights and help you with dark circles under your eyes,” said Ingraham.
3. Apply antioxidants-rich skin care products every day
“We’re using antioxidants as an environmental shield against blue light. Load on up antioxidants. My favorite it’s C E Ferulic from SkinCeutical. Put it on in the morning under your sunscreen, which is really the most important part of your blue light protection arsenal,” said Ingraham.
“One of my favorite sunscreens with antioxidants is the ISDIN that not only protects DNA damage, but it also has a high concentration of antioxidants,” she said.
4. Wear tinted sunscreen, whether your inside or outside
“All skin shades should wear a tinted sunscreen because these contain iron oxide, the best thing to block blue light. Or use your sunscreen and buy something like a Dermablend tint and you can mix this iron oxide tint into your sunscreen. ”said Ingraham.
5. Cover your phone with a blue light screen shield
“Amazon.com has plenty of options. It’s a cheap fix and it eliminates the need to worry about skin care or sunglasses when using your phone or tablet,”she said.
To see Ingraham’s complete tips, watch her interview in the video below.
To connect with Dr. Ingraham, click here.