In this article :
-
🧑🏫 What is blue light
-
🧓 Does it really cause wrinkles?
-
👉 How to avoid accelerated skin aging and the appearance of wrinkles
-
🔵 A little reminder about the benefits of this light
What is blue light?
We know you're unbeatable on the subject thanks to us, but for those who prefer to play Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy rather than reading our articles on this light (no judgment, we understand them), a little reminder surely won't hurt!
A wave present excessively on our screens
Blue light is the part of the light spectrum with wavelengths between 380 and 500 nanometers.
If we hear more and more about it today, it is simply because screens, now ubiquitous in our daily lives, whether at work or at home, are one of the sources of blue light ( artificial).
In fact, blue light is found:
-
☀️ in the light spectrum of the day emitted by the sun
-
📱 on the screens around us (phone, computer, tablet, television, etc.)
-
💡in modern LED lights
There are two categories of blue light
-
Turquoise ( between 450 and 500 nanometers), which is good for morale and essential for regulating our biological rhythm
-
Blue-violet (between 380 and 450 nanometers), potentially dangerous, which involves risks for your health and to which we are increasingly exposed. It is between turquoise blue light and ultraviolet rays, better known as UV, which are particularly harmful to the skin.
Overexposure can lead to some problems
-
😴 sleep disorders and falling asleep
-
🤯 Headaches
-
😵💫 eye irritation, stinging and blurred vision
-
👀 eyestrain
If you want to know more, do not hesitate to take a look at our complete file on this light and its effects.
It often has the wrong role, but let's not forget that the one that represents a danger to your health is the artificial blue light from screens, when you are exposed to it at high intensity and for a long time . Basically, where you run the most risk is when you stare at a screen for too long, for example watching the last episode of The Mandalorian in the dark or when you finish your game of Resident Evil 4, still in the dark. utter darkness. Conversely, natural blue light is not harmful (until a certain exposure and intensity of course).
How does blue light cause wrinkles to appear?
As blue light is the most energetic wave of the visible light spectrum, it penetrates deeper into the superficial layers.
Its waves are very short and therefore potentially more irritating to the skin. Recent studies show that overexposure to this light emitted by our screens would accelerate the aging of the skin, but is this really the case?
The theoretical problem raised
A French study warns that it would lead to cell exhaustion and possible oxidative stress. In a way quite similar to UV rays from the sun, it would penetrate the skin to destroy collagen and thus lead to premature aging.
Blue light would therefore cause a lot of damage to our skin since it:
-
🔴 would cause oxidative stress
-
💪 would decrease the production of fibroblasts
-
🧬 would damage the DNA of cells and oxidize their membranes
If the skin loses elasticity and becomes more fragile, the consequence is clear:
👉 your skin ages faster and therefore wrinkles appear prematurely.
The practical problem to relativize
Be careful though! These studies are to be taken with a grain of salt and for the moment, the biological effects of repeated exposure to blue light and in the more or less long term have not yet been fully proven.
There are only a few studies on the subject and on fairly limited criteria.
In fact, most studies have shown that sunlight is much more dangerous than that of our screens for the skin: excess exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes many (visible) skin lesions resulting in the aging of skin that thins in places and loses elasticity.
At the same time, brown spots, plaques and wrinkles may appear.
You are surely observing yourself from every angle in front of your mirror in search of the first wrinkles on your face but unfortunately (or fortunately rather), you will not see them right away. Indeed, early skin aging is a process that takes time and wrinkles can only appear after several years.
Now that that's said, no need to rush to the pharmacy to buy all the anti-wrinkle creams on sale, there are much more effective (and above all cheaper!) ways to limit this phenomenon.
The reflexes to adopt to protect yourself and avoid wrinkles
Protect yourself from blue light
You are probably starting to know them well, but it is always good to remember these few simple gestures to apply on a daily basis which will be good for your skin (or in any case no worse) but above all for your health in general:
-
📵 Reduce your screen time , especially before sleeping: ideally, try to stay away from screens at least 1h30 before bedtime (maybe it's time to bring out your old board games if you don't know what to do)
-
🌃 A ctivate “ night ” mode on your tablet and smartphone to protect yourself from harmful waves for the skin
-
💡 Reduce the brightness of screens and LED light (think about lighting at home in addition to screens).
-
👓 Choose an anti blue light filter by wearing anti blue light glasses (you can of course go to our glasses collections to find the ideal pair or read our guide on how to choose the right anti blue light glasses ) and/or by placing a filter directly on your screen to limit the quantity emitted
-
☀️ Maximize natural light
Create a natural shield by strengthening your warrior body.
-
🥗 Consume foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins C, A and E which help protect the skin from oxidative stress caused by harmful rays
-
💧 Hydrate well: well-hydrated skin defends itself better against external aggressions such as pollution, cold and UVs
-
🧴 Be more attentive to your exposure to the sun. Frankly, if there is an enemy of your skin, it is overexposure to UVs. So we avoid getting roasted like a big organic free-range chicken Dolby Red label surround in the sun all afternoon and we think about putting on a really good sunscreen.
The benefits of blue light
We tend to highlight the dangers of blue light for health, but we must not forget that it can have beneficial effects .
At low energy, a time of exposure to blue light could help prevent certain skin diseases.
For example, it can be used for certain dermatological treatments and would be a formidable ally against acne.
Used in LED (light therapy), it would act as an antibacterial capable of attacking the bacteria that causes these pesky pimples and would even promote healing. In this case, it would not be harmful to the skin. Of course, this kind of treatment is to be carried out by a health professional (preferably a dermatologist) in order to receive the necessary dose and at the right distance to avoid any risk. Still used in light therapy, it can also be effective in the fight against depression.
And if you want to know more about the effects of blue light on acne, you will find all the answers in this article where we show you the different studies on the subject.
The final word: impact of blue light on wrinkles
The early appearance of wrinkles therefore seems potentially linked to blue light, but for the moment there is still a little material to affirm that this is a real big danger for the doomscroller that you are. There is a question of intensity which is not analyzed enough. So we're not too worried about you! So before rushing on the latest miracle treatments for anti-blue light skin, think about the essentials.
Do not forget that what causes this phenomenon is the prolonged overexposure to harmful waves and in this UVs are the real enemies to target (waves up to 380 or even 400 nanometers). Anyway you can already apply these few tips to delay the appearance of wrinkles a little, it's once again a matter of common sense and as we know you're full of them, you should survive your next hour on Call of Duty.
