HEV is damaging our skin, experts are warning us, but what is it and why is it dangerous – and what can we do to lessen its effects?
What’s HEV/Blue Light?
There’s some useful, concise info on Eucerin’s website (not a brand I use), the main gist of it being:
HEV (High Energy Visible) light is the blue light our smartphones, tablets and computers give off. And some experts including Koko Hayashi at Mirai Clinical are saying it’s as real a threat to our health and skin as damage from the sun.
Hayashi is quoted as saying it’s worse than UVB or UVA as it hits the skin deeper – where collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastic reside.
Stripping things back to basics, the sunlight spectrum consists of:
UV, visible and infrared light. Visible light is the only light we can actually “see” with the human eye, because technically UV and Infrared Light are invisible to humans.
HEV lies within the blue/violet band of the entire light spectrum and has a particularly high energy level and here’s how deeply each light form penetrates the skin:
UVB – these are the burning/sun burn rays believed to cause skin cancer which hit the epidermis (outer layer)
UVA – UVA rays are linked to DNA damage and ageing (photo-ageing)
HEV – is not associated with skin cancer (I would venture to say “yet?”) as there still isn’t a whole lot of proven info about HEV although it’s already being touted as a skin-aging culprit. HEV light causes a good deal of oxydative stress, premature aging and damagesway cells, but beyond that, the damage it does to our circadian rhythms, eyes and overall health is very worrying.
UVB, UVA and HEV Light can trigger hyperpigmentation/age spots and melasma
As London celebrity facialist and founder of Skinesis, Sarah Chapman points out:
“While the effects of sun damage are well-documented, the effects of HEV or blue light on your skin are less known despite being equally harmful. HEV light is emitted from our computers, phones and other digital devices and actually contains the same UV rays as the sun, which we know have the potential to cause long-term damage to skin cells in both the dermis and epidermis”.
So if we need to be protecting our skin indoors now – as well as out – how do we do this?
“Protecting your skin from HEV light is as simple as applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen to create a physical barrier, preventing the occurrence of pigmentation, DNA damage and premature aging” Sarah advises.
Skin ageing side for a moment, the big blue light picture is a scary one. We’re starting to hear more warnings of the dangers and at the end of the day it comes down to simply but importantly changing our digital habits. Switching off the WiFi before bed, reducing screen time – especially before bed, cultivating better habits like checking email only twice a day rather than an all day incoming/outgoing mail ping pong match.
It’ll be interesting to see if the 20-year olds of today become the 30-year olds of tomorrow (i.e. rapid agers with chronic neck/posture problems). Time will tell.
Meanwhile, expect to hear more and more about HEV Protection – HEV, the new SPF? Which is why we’ve included a new BEST PRODUCT FOR HEV/BLUE LIGHT PROTECTION category for 2019 in the upcoming Beauty Shortlist & Wellbeing Awards. For more info, click here (if you missed the early bird entry deadline, there’s still time before they close on 2 November).
ENTRY FORM & NEW CATEGORIES – 2019 BEAUTY SHORTLIST AWARDS
BLUE LIGHT BODYGUARDS
TWO BEAUTY SHORTLIST WINNERS
TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM HEV DAMAGE
1. SARAH CHAPMAN SKINESIS SKIN INSURANCE SPF30
Skin Insurance SPF30 by Sarah Chapman
“This innovative featherlight skin perfecting tinted protection powers way beyond sunscreen to insure your skin for long term health with our 360˚ protection from UVA, UVB, thermal & infrared radiation. Smart light scattering powders and intelligent adaptive tints deliver a visible youth boost”
BUY HERE
2. MURAD CITY SKIN SPF50
“This revolutionary, ultra-light 100% mineral broad spectrum PA++++ and SPF 50 sunscreen with Environmental Protection Technology shields skin from 5 main causes of damage that accelerate signs of aging” Protects against:
- Blue Light from devices
- Pollution
- Infrared Radiation
- UVA
- UVB
Shields skin from:
- 96% of pollution*
- 89% of Blue Light from devices**
- 52% of Infrared Radiation*
BUY HERE