We're aware that looking at screens for long periods of time is making us dumb, harming our eyesight, disrupting our sleep, and reducing our attention spans. With frequent lockdowns and long work from home stretches; dermatologists are noticing a new phenomenon, a lockdown or WFH face. 

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The alleged culprit is the high-energy visible light (HEV – also known as blue light) released by our devices, which some researchers in the cosmetics industry say may be as aging as sun exposure, and the fact that staying indoors has caused a massive change to our sleeping, eating and screen time patterns.

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HEV light destroys collagen through oxidative stress. A chemical in the skin called flavin absorbs blue light. The reaction that takes place during that absorption produces unstable oxygen molecules (free radicals) that damage the skin.

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There is some data suggesting that “darker skin types could experience worsening skin pigmentation after exposure to visible light, such as melasma around the forehead and eyes. In a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, it was shown to cause hyperpigmentation in medium to dark skin, while leaving lighter skin relatively unaffected. This may mean that most people in India have a higher risk of WFH face!

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