Screen Time & Skin Health

Given how heavily our society depends on technology, particularly in recent years, it shouldn't come as a surprise that more and more of our lives are now spent online. In a single day, the average adult pulls up their phone 150 times or more, with some people looking at a screen for up to 19 hours. In 2020, Zoom will have hosted over 300 million meetings, up from only 10 million the year before. Most of us have had that guilty feeling after getting an especially high screen time usage report at the end of the week.

Of course, there are significant advantages to this technological advancement, such as remaining linked during a worldwide epidemic. However, the negative effects of excessive screen time usage on our mental and physical health should not be overlooked. Unplugging may help us sleep better, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance our attention, and, yes, even improve our skin health. Here's what our phones, laptops, and other devices are doing to our skin and what we can do about it. So it is very important to know how to reduce screen time.

Damage from Blue Light

You're probably familiar with blue light if you've ever used Night Mode on your phone, tablet, or computer. This type of ray, also known as High Energy Visible light - HEV, is emitted by the sun as well as our electronic devices. Blue light, according to science, contains more energy than other hues in the visible spectrum, and hence is more likely to harm our cells.

As a consequence, while gazing at a computer for long periods of time, many people feel eye strain and dryness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms. While further study into how blue light affects human skin is needed, there is mounting evidence that HEV rays may damage the barrier by generating free radicals and causing oxidative stress. If that's the case, gazing at screens for long periods of time may deplete the skin's collagen supply, resulting in wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.

How much screen time is healthy?

In addition to taking breaks from the screen, use mineral sunscreen every day to protect your skin from blue light damage. A physical SPF (formulated with materials like zinc oxide) reflects visible light rays, including HEV, unlike chemical sunscreen. Antioxidants, such as ferulic acid, may provide further protection. Ferulic acid, which is included in our Advanced Restoring Serum, neutralises free radicals and prevents them from oxidising and inflicting long-term harm to our skin cells.

Indirectly, blue light has an effect on our skin's health. Artificial light suppresses the generation of melatonin in our bodies, which is necessary for a comfortable night's sleep. Spending too much time clicking and scrolling before bed might lead us to miss out on crucial when our skin repairs itself. While some people find that using blue light glasses or altering the lighting on their displays helps, the best thing you can do is turn off your gadgets at least an hour before night.

Side- Effects of increased screen time on the skin

Acne

Consider when you last cleaned your electronic equipment, particularly your smartphone, if you're seeing an increase in breakouts. It is said that cell phones are 10 times more filthy than toilet seats. Given how often we touch our screens, it's no surprise that they might provoke acne flare-ups.

Even so, outbreaks do occur. The good news is that treating breakouts caused by cell phone usage is simple. Depending on the severity of your breakouts, a good washing programme products containing salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide may usually be controlled. If you have a lot of acne, try washing your face with Keep the Peace. Its salicylic acid, which is 1.5 per cent, clears up breakouts without stripping the skin.

Tech neck

The phrase "tech neck," which refers to the pain caused by constantly gazing down at your phone, became extremely popular just a few years ago. In fact, there's a strong possibility you're reading this post while gazing down at your computer screen.

While it has no major health consequences, it may create neck strain, and back discomfort, and affect your posture. After all, the head weighs about 5-10 pounds, and the gravitational force that comes with gazing downwards just adds to the physical strain.

"Tech neck" wrinkles may form prematurely due to the number of hours we spend gazing down at our computers, phones, and tablets during the day. These tiny lines are classified as dynamic wrinkles, which occur as a result of recurrent muscle activity and include smile lines and crow's feet. The skin stretches out as our muscles flex. Skin can't bounce back to its previous shape as readily as collagen and elastin are lost over time, thus fine wrinkles will stay.

Take Away

The most apparent fix is to spend less time gazing at a computer screen. Invest in a standing desk, get up and move about throughout the day, and limit the amount of time you spend texting and surfing, this is how to reduce screen time we can do. However, staring down at your screen from time to time is inescapable. When it comes to moisturising and applying SPF, make sure your neck and chest are included in your regular skincare regimen. Recovery Mode, our night cream, works at the cellular level to preserve collagen and elastin from breakdown while also smoothing fine wrinkles over time.