Jul 21, 20202 min
This is an interesting article and well worth a read. I have taken some elements, here, as an introduction:
Can Light Emitted from Smartphone Screens and Taking Selfies Cause Premature Aging and Wrinkles?
(Taken from: J Biomed Phys Eng. 2018 Dec; 8(4): 447–452. Published online 2018 Dec 1)
"Human skin has been exposed to different levels of light since the creation of life. Interestingly, over the past decades, due to consequences of modern life, humans are not exposed to adequate levels of natural light during the day but are overexposed to relatively high levels of artificial light at night.
Exposure to light emitted from electronic devices on human skin cells, even in case of short exposures, can increase the generation of reactive oxygen species.
Skin is a major target of oxidative stress and the link between aging and oxidative stress is well documented. Especially, extrinsic skin aging can be caused by oxidative stress.
The xenon flash tubes which are widely used in all types of photography and white light-emitting diodes (LED) are among the main available digital camera photoflashes. While xenon flash is globally used in both film cameras and stand-alone digital still cameras (DSCs) due to its higher level of brightness, white LED flashes are preferred in most camera phones. Although, there are numerous advantages for the use of LEDs over Xenon flashes, the peak spectral intensity of LEDs lies in the blue region."
Much has been said about the effect that blue light can have on the skin and, indeed, the eyes. There are available blue screen covers for your phone and some phones have a night setting, which restricts blue light (especially for those that like to check social media late at night). Better to heavily retsrict the use of mobile devices late at night or even better still, just..... don't. Certainly during the day, at home or at work, an alternative is the use of a SPF30 type of sunscreen product for example:
Heliocare 360 Oil Free Gel (for Summer as SPF50)
Heliocare® 360º Gel Oil-Free Dry Touch is designed for the most demanding skins. Helpful for thise looking for full photoprotection with a light texture, that is oil-free, offers sebum control and with a matte finish.
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield SPF 50
Protects skin from UV rays, pollution, high energy visible (HEV) blue light and infrared radiation (IR). This sun shield has a hydrating and powerful antioxidant formula, which targets environmental aggressors and helps to prevent ageing and photoageing due to DNA damage.
Just remember that protection fromskin (and eye) damage due to the "wrong sort of light" can come from inside as much as out!