All that extra screen time on your gadgets is causing your skin and eyes to age. Here we breakdown the causes of WFH aging and how to avoid it.
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Working from home was once music to everyone’s ears but when the pandemic hit and in our case, being over a year in quarantine, the current set-up feels like a trap more than a lucky day-off. Nonetheless, we’re still lucky to have our jobs at all, but staring into screens all day can take a toll on us, our skin and eyes. No, I’m not talking about getting wrinkles because you’re furrowing your brows too much as you type and work. (Although, here’s your reminder to relax them, because it can cause fine lines to appear on your forehead.) But from work to break time, your skin and eyes are constantly exposed to blue light coming from your gadgets. This can cause premature aging or as many would like to call it “WFH aging.”
Here’s a crash course on the real risks of blue light and how to avoid WFH aging:
What Is Blue Light?
Not to be confused with UVA or UVB rays but it’s also a high-energy and short-wavelength light that comes from the sun and our digital screens. It’s not necessarily bad either because blue light plays a critical role in maintaining our natural sleep-wake cycles. However, even with sunlight as the main source of blue light, our digital screens are much closer to us than the sun and this long-term blue light exposure can cause eye and skin damage.
How Does It Damage Our Skin and Eyes?
For the skin: Studies show that blue light can penetrate deeper into the skin, disrupting its regenerative cycle. This can cause loss of firmness, an increase in fine lines and wrinkles, and trigger skin other conditions such as melasma and inflammation the same way UVA and UVB rays do. It also induces free radicals that destroys our skin’s natural barrier.
For the eyes: Visible blue light from screens can also pass through the cornea and reach the retina of the eyes. Fatigue, dry eyes, bad lighting, and how close you are to your digital screen can cause eyestrain which leads to eyesight damage.
But Aren’t There Blue Light Acne Treatments?
Yes, there are now LED masks and light therapy that include blue light to combat acne. Recent research shows that that exposure to a small amount of blue light has anti-microbial properties that can treat mild to moderate acne outbreaks. However, the key reminder here is that blue light can only be beneficial in small amounts. Remember: Small exposure = good, Long exposure = bad.
The Benefits Of Anti-Blue Light Technology
For the skin: Blue light protection skincare works by physically blocking the light and fighting off free radicals that can destroy our skin barrier. Two ingredients that experts recommend are sunscreen and antioxidants. Sunscreens provide double duty to our skin as it protects us from UVB, UVA and blue light altogether, while antioxidants can heal hyperpigmentation, spots, and neutralize free radicals.
For a beauty routine that protects your from WFH aging, Happy Skin’s The Fresh Morning Dew: At Home Edition has skincare and makeup products that’s specifically made for it. To highlight your natural glow while protecting your skin, the line is made with anti-blue light technology, hyaluronic acid, and cica (Centella Asiatica). Not to mention, all the products are summer-friendly with its added cooling abilities.
The collection includes the following:
Cooling Serum Foundation with SPF 15 : A light-weight skin tint that comes in a dropper packaging to blur our imperfections and smoothen skin texture.
Aqua Cooling Setting Powder: It lightly mattifies the under eyes and the t-zone so your natural glow can still shine through without looking too greasy.
Cooling UV Sun Mist SPF 40 PA+++: My personal favorite that still has that same fresh fruity smell but upgraded with anti-blue light technology for easy sun and screen protection.
Cooling Lip & Cheek Tint: Like delicious mint candy for your lips, it comes in go-to everyday shades called “The Sheets” which is an old rose pink and “Dusk” a brownish nude.
For the eyes: Anti-blue light glasses can improve visual performance, alleviate the symptoms of eye fatigue or visual discomfort, and improve sleep quality.
Check out the Anti-Radiation Eyewear from Sunnies Specs, that keeps your protected while still looking chic. Their lightweight and resin signature styles are upgraded with a coated lens for increased sun and blue light protection. Even if you have 20/20 vision, consider keeping a pair handy to keep your eyesight that way. They even have styles for kids as well to keep your whole family safe and stylish.
