Experts claim that smartphones, laptops, and other devices using blue light, could damage your skin just like the Sun. They said that people should wear sunscreen when spending hours in front of their devices.
An employee uses a Huawei P40 smartphone at the IFA consumer technology fair, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Berlin, Germany September 3, 2020.
This is a serious matter since researchers said blue light could cause skin aging, hyperpigmentation, and mottling. Dr. Shyamalar Gunatheesan, a dermatologist in Melbourne, warned people to lessen their screen time to prevent irreparable skin damage.
"It's (blue light is) quite short, it's powerful. It gets through your skin right away, and it's everywhere," she said.
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"Exposure to blue light, especially long, prolonged periods, you do get a bit more hyperpigmentation, so that brown discoloration that can happen," she added.
Aside from tinted sunscreen, Gunatheesan also explained that people should also use makeup with iron oxide since it is the "best visible light blocker." The public warning comes after Unilever researchers studied the effects of electronic devices' blue light on the skin, discovering it can lead to premature aging.
Exposure to blue light for five days, at least six hours each day, is equivalent to spending 25 minutes under the Sun without any cream or sunscreen. Dr. Gunatheesan said that it takes around seven minutes to get a tan, which means that using your phone for a week could tan your skin more than three times.
Blue light could also affect your sleep
The research also found out that screen use alone is already a big problem since 60% of people are now using their devices more than six hours a day. The Melbourne dermatologist said that her patients are now concerned with blue light's long-term effects on their skin.
A man uses his smartphone next to the Xiaomi brand's store in central Kiev, Ukraine February 11, 2020.
However, the exact amount of blue light exposure that can cause severe skin damage is still unclear. Another problem is only two out of three people are unaware of the effects of blue light.
Aside from your skin, blue light could also affect your sleep patterns. Experts said that it could increase the risk of damage to eyesight, making it harder for people to fall asleep.
Dhruvin Patel, the leading optometrist of the study, said that sunscreen is not the only way to prevent blue light's effects. Looking away for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes of screen use, could reduce eye damage.
Doing this will help your visual system and eye through any extended periods of screen work.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
