Light: Love It or Leave It?

By: Aly Gerdes

When thinking of sun damage, sunlight and UV rays are often the first culprits that come to mind. In reality, though, the entire electromagnetic spectrum — including microwaves from the kitchen and blue light from the screen — can impact skin health in both harmful and beneficial ways.

Types of Light in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Invisible Light

• Low Energy Waves: include radio, infrared, and microwaves, which are all mostly harmless, sans certain microwaves that have thermal effects on epidermal tissue.
• High Energy Waves: include X-rays and gamma rays that deeply penetrate the skin and cause cellular mutations. Thankfully, these are not typically part of daily exposure.

Visible Light

• Red Light: generally considered beneficial and used in red light therapy
• Orange, Yellow, Green Lights: also used in therapeutic settings, but can be found in neons and fluorescents
• Blue Light: emitted by phones, TVs, and tablets; has both negative and positive effects

Negative Effects of Light on the Skin

UV Light from Sunlight

• (Hyper)Pigmentation: happens when UV rays, particularly UVB, overstimulate melanin producing, causing dark spots, sunburns, and increased risk of melanoma.
• Erythema: the “hot” and “tight” feelings of the skin after prolonged sun exposure, a sign of inflammation even if no visible burn occurs.
• Rapid Photoaging: the result of chronic UV exposure form the sun or tanning beds that causes collagen breakdown, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Blue Light (HEV Light from Screens)

• Oxidative Stress: blue light penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB and can therefore generate reactive oxygen species, or ROS, which also leads to damaged skin cells.
• Accelerated Aging: the stress from ROS causes breakdown of collagen and elastin, thus contributing to to premature wrinkles and loss of firmness.

Neon and Fluorescent Light

• Polymorphic Light Eruption (PLE): a rash or patch of itchy skin that is essentially an allergic reaction triggered by exposure to certain lights
• Solar Urticaria: severe cases of certain light sensitivities that may result in welt or hives

The Positive Effects of Light on the Skin

Blue Light Therapy

• Controls acne by killing bacteria
• Reduces oil production
• Increase skin smoothness by improving plumpness, clarity, tone

Green Light

• Helps to balance melanin production to treat hyperpigmentation
• Soothes inflammation
• Improves microcirculation, which can help ease the appearance of varicose veins

Yellow Light

• Helps with redness, flushing, and rosacea
• Calms sunburns, Erythema, and irritation

Red Light Therapy:

• Boosts collagen
• Reduces inflammation
• Improves skin plumpness and elasticity
• May help counteract blue light damage

Ultraviolet Light (In Moderation)

Skin is the body’s biggest organ. When light is absorbed or heat is felt by the skin, the experience triggers a series of cellular responses that:

• Is essential for Vitamin D synthesis
• Supports melatonin and serotonin regulation, which can improve sleep and mood quality
• Kills surface bacteria, which can potentially aide acne-prone skin

So, Should You Avoid Light or Embrace It?

“Light” is a double-edged sword. While some wavelengths can accelerate aging or cause pigmentation and other harmful effects, others can heal, balance and stimulate skin cell regeneration.

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