Skin Nerd: Here's how your screen could be damaging your skin

Blue light doesn’t just stop us nodding off, it has been reported to affect our skin too...

With a substantial portion of our waking hours spent in front of a screen, blue light protection is likely to become a top priority when it comes to skin protection.

While most of us are aware of the dangers of sun exposure, far fewer of us are knowledgeable of the effects of another source of potential damage to our skin — high-energy visible (HEV) light, otherwise known as “blue light”. 

According to research from Unilever, 65% of consumers are unaware of the effect blue light could have on the skin, which is worrying considering the company also found that 60% of people now spend more than five hours a day in front of a digital device. When spread across five working days, this equates to the same impact on the skin as spending 25 minutes in midday sunshine without protection. With a substantial portion of our waking hours spent in front of a screen, blue light protection is likely to become a top priority when it comes to skin protection.