5. SCREEN TIME
Can blue light from screens really speed up our aging? There are various different products on the market today that claim to protect against blue screen light. However, there is no evidence that it would cause wrinkles. What has been observed, however, is that blue light can cause hyperpigmentation in people with darker skin. It has also been shown to break down the important carotenoids in the skin.
But can you protect yourself by using regular sunscreen? Yes, studies have shown that physical sunscreens actually provide some protection against blue light. However, we must look at this realistically. Compare how your skin feels if you spend all day in the sun with how it feels after the same amount of time in front of a computer. The difference in strength and effect is obvious. Considering that blue light is also said to damage the eyes, it is better to get a light filter for your computer, tablet and mobile than to try to protect your skin by applying any type of sunscreen product. That being said, not enough studies have yet been done on how blue light affects the skin.
6. SMOKING
Today we know that smoking accelerates skin aging and also forms free radicals and inflammation in the skin. In clinical studies, it has been seen that wrinkles appear prematurely if you smoke a lot. You might think that these wrinkles form mainly around the mouth and on the face, where you have sensitive skin, but it has been found that smokers also develop wrinkles on the arms. Smoking leads to the development of elastosis, which means that the elastin fibers in the skin lose their elasticity. The skin becomes wrinkled, yellowish and less firm. Male smokers develop both elastosis and telangiectasia (visible blood vessels near the surface of the skin, also known as spider veins). Female smokers are not affected to the same extent by telangiectasia.
7. POLLUTION
There is a lot of research going on about how exhaust gases and pollution affect the skin. The results leave no doubt about the negative impact. The World Health Organization, WHO, published a report in 2016 that stated that over three million people die from air pollution each year, making air pollution the world's number one environmental health risk. Airborne particles are a major component of pollution, and there is increasing evidence that they adversely affect human skin. They increase inflammation and enzyme activity in the skin and thus reduce the amount of collagen and elastin in the skin.
One of the world's largest cosmetics companies has invested heavily in air pollution research, especially in China because the measured pollution there is more extensive. The skin status of people living in areas with high levels of pollution has been compared to the skin of people from areas with cleaner air. People living in the polluted areas have more wrinkles, more pigmentation spots and drier skin than people from the countryside.
