Can Excessive Screen Time Cause Harm To Your Skin? Heres What Expert Says

Know the surprising ways excessive screen time can affect your skin. Understand how to protect your skin from blue light damage and maintain a healthy glow.

Whether it is a student attending virtual classes, a housewife watching videos, or a shopkeeper managing bills on a screen, our lives now revolve around electronic devices. But as much as these devices have made life easy, they are also quietly affecting our skin in ways most people are unaware of.

Dr. Siddhant Mahajan, Consultant Dermatologist at Kaya Limited, says that the light coming from screens, known as blue light, can damage the skin just like strong sunlight. In fact, it can go even deeper into the skin than UV rays from the sun. He explains that blue light harms the skin’s inner layers by breaking down collagen and elastin, the two proteins that keep skin young and healthy. As a result, the skin starts showing signs of early ageing, like fine lines, dullness, and dark patches.

Many people believe that if they stay indoors, their skin is safe from damage. But that’s not true anymore. Blue light is also known as HEV (high-energy visible) light and is present in sunlight. But today, most of our exposure comes from phones, tablets, laptops, and even LED lights in our homes. The problem is not just the presence of blue light but the amount of time we spend with these devices and the close distance at which we use them. According to Dr Mahajan, people spend an average of 6 to 10 hours a day in front of screens, and that constant exposure is now showing harmful effects on their skin.

He says that many of his patients come in complaining about dull, tired-looking skin or dark spots that don’t go away. Often, they are surprised to learn that their screen time could be the reason. According to research, people with darker skin types, like most Indians, are more prone to blue light-induced pigmentation. This means the problem could be even worse in our country.

Precautions To Protect The Skin

Dr. Mahajan suggests taking simple precautions to protect the skin. He suggests using phones and laptops in night mode to restrict blue light, using good skincare products that have ingredients like iron oxide, vitamin C, or niacinamide, and most importantly, using sunscreen even while staying indoors. He also recommends that people take regular breaks from the screen and look away every now and then to allow both their eyes and skin to relax.

The digital world is here to stay, and it is not possible to avoid screens altogether. But we can be smart about how we use them. Just like we apply sunscreen before going outside, we need to start thinking about how to protect our skin indoors too.

“Your phone may be ageing your skin faster than you think,” warns Dr. Mahajan. “Digital well-being is not just about your mental health; it is about your skin health too.”