What does Digital Ageing mean?

Digital ageing is caused by High Energy Visible Light (HEV) from the sun and our Tech devices like pc, smartphone and tablet - learn more about this problem in this article.

DIGITAL AGEING CAUSED BY HIGH ENERGY VISIBLE LIGHT

Blue Light and Digital Ageing

High Energy Visible Light (HEV), also known as Blue-Violet light, is everywhere around us, with the sun being the main source. It has a shorter wavelength and more energy, ranging from 380-500nm on the electromagnetic spectrum, than normal UV rays. The electromagnetic spectrum enables us to understand the different light emitted and visibility thereof from indoor and outdoor sources.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Considering almost the entire world had to retreat into Lock Down due to the epidemic outbreak of COVID-19, we became more reliant on our smart devices to work from home, do home schooling with the children or video calling family and friends. For many of us, this extended screen time on our smart devices is continuing and will do for the unforeseeable future.

This means that our skin is digitally ageing due to the modern-day devices we use.

INTERESTING FACT…

All blue light passes through the cornea and lens of the eye. This results in damage of the light sensitive cells of the retina and can cause macular degeneration, blurred visions, headaches, migraines and even cardiovascular problems. 

A side effect of HEV, which is not really spoken about, is depression, due to a lack of sleep.

HEV regulates the body’s circadian rhythm, which is your natural wake and sleep cycle, but with the overexposure to HEV, it delays melatonin production and affects your ability to sleep.

For this reason, they recommend that you avoid HEV or blue light 2-3 hours before

going to bed.

With a previous study pre-COVID-19, an average person would have spent 2:27 hours on a smartphone, 3:43 hours in front of a TV and 7 hours in front of a computer screen.

All of these devices emit blue light, resulting in a total of 12 hours exposure to blue light per day.

With our current situation in the midst of COVID-19, it is only obvious that this exposure must have increased quite significantly.

SO HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR SKIN?

Apart from the above-mentioned problems, we need to think about the possible effects of blue light on the skin. The truth is…it creates premature ageing.

If we look at normal ageing skin, also known as genetic ageing or internal ageing and accounts for 5% of how you age, you will start to notice visible lines appearing on the face, the skin becomes thinner and more drier, the texture of your skin also becomes more delicate and porcelain-like.

In comparison, external or extrinsic ageing accounts for 95% of how we age. Excessive exposure to external factors such as your smart devices increases your skin being affected by HEV, resulting in digital ageing. You may see more sagginess and deeper wrinkles on the face, skin thickness increasing, with a leathery texture and uneven pigmentation.

WHY WILL THIS HAPPEN?

Because HEV penetrates deeper into the skin than UV radiation and Infra-Red. It will increase ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) or free radicals within your skin and increases the number of deteriorating cells. It slows down your cell regeneration cycle, creating the premature ageing process.

HEV also weakens your skin’s barrier function, creating more water loss and results in dryness, dehydration, sensitivity, inflammation as well as redness. These are all contributing factors to the digital ageing process.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION TO PROTECT AGAINST HEV? 

The solution is to protect the skin using the latest scientific ingredients to provide sufficient UV, IR and HEV protection. Nimue for example also incorporates powerful anti-oxidants to combat free radicals within the skin, as well as advanced ingredients to reinforce the skin barrier, restoring the bio-lipids within. This helps to retain moisture and speed up the cell regeneration cycle.

Fibroblast cells are stimulated which increases collagen and elastin production, improving the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

Nimue Skin Technology is a great solution for this problem. Nimue says:

"Our goal….to combat the effects of HEV and prevent digital ageing"

What a strong statement!

WHAT PRODUCTS DO NIMUE RECOMMEND? 

• Pre & Post Serum - Reinforces the skin barrier
• Nimue-TDS - Provides optimal hydration and barrier protection
• Alpha Lipoic Activator - Super anti-oxidant
• Hyaluronic UltraFiller Serum - Provides intense hydration and has a flash filler effect
• Super Hydrating Serum - Superior moisturisation
• SUN-C Environmental Shield SPF 50 - HEV, UV and IR Protection