Doctor says blue light from screens can impact our skin

Screentime and your skin

Screentime can impact your skin - and wrinkles says this doctor.

FOX 2 - We know we're supposed to limit our screen time for many reasons, but here's one that you might not expect, the light might be giving us wrinkles.

What they're saying:

Cleveland Clinic Dermatologist Shilpi Khetarpal says it’s possible, because the light our devices give off can affect our skin

"Not so much in the realm of causing skin cancer, but it can accelerate aging by degrading like our collagen and elastin," she said. "We also know that this light can promote melanin production, so maybe darker skin types can be prone to like hyperpigmentation"

Doctor Khetarpal says devices like phones, tablets, TVs and even certain light fixtures can emit a type of visible light called blue light.

While the sun’s rays are much more harmful, hours of daily screen time may also contribute to skin changes.

That’s because being exposed to blue light over time can potentially lead to things like fine lines and dark spots.

So, how do you protect your skin from blue light? You've got to use sunscreen even when you're inside, and the magic ingredient is iron oxide.

"The iron oxide or tinted sunscreens are the only ones that are going to be effective against this visible light," says Khetarpal. "If you're using just a white-based sunscreen, it almost inevitably does not have iron oxide in it. So check the inactive ingredients."

You can cut down on your exposure but lowering the brightness and of course, but back on screen time in general.