Blue Light and Your Skin

Recently, we wrote about blue light and its potential effects on your health, your work, and the quality of your sleep. Next, we’re going to tackle what blue light does to your skin — and how to avoid it.

With few exceptions, we spend every day in front of a screen,  sometimes for hours on end. Our smartphones, televisions, laptops, desktops, movie theater screens, and more are emitting blue light all around us. And it turns out that just like too much sunshine, too much blue light can also accelerate aging and skin damage if you are not careful.

Doctors are most concerned about artificial blue light exposure at night. “The more research we do, the more evidence we have that excess artificial light at night can have a profound, deleterious effect on many aspects of human health,” says Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

There is mounting evidence, however, that excessive daytime exposure to blue light can also be harmful.

Does Blue Light Damage Skin?

The short answer to this question is that we are still figuring it out. But preliminary studies such as this one conducted in 2017 indicates that blue light can damage skin in the same way UVA rays do.

“Blue light induced oxidative stress preferentially in mitochondria, but green, red, far red or infrared light did not . . . These results suggest that blue light contributes to skin aging similar to UVA.”

Other studies indicate a potential delay in the healing of skin due to blue light exposure and the possible advancement of hyperpigmentation.

So while we cannot say definitively that blue light will damage your skin in a visible way, the latest medical information does indicate a reason to be cautious and to utilize preventative skincare methods to avoid it.

Use the Right Preventative Methods to Avoid Skin Damage

First off, wear sunscreen every single day. It will always be one of the most effective methods for preventing photo-aging. Blue light glasses can also protect the sensitive region around your eyes in addition to the eyes themselves. Most smartphones and laptops can be turned to “night mode,” which changes the tone of the light emitted.

In addition to those recommendations, our Jour Day Cream can also assist with anti-aging function and overall improvement of skin tone and condition. This organic plant-based cream is loaded with antioxidants to fight off free radicals and refresh and renew skin at any age. You will love the smooth, moisturizing effects of eucalyptus extract and raspberry seed oil in Jour Day Cream; it is a spa experience captured within our beautifully designed jar.

To learn more about all our skin care products and how they can keep you looking and feeling young!