It’s no secret that we’re surrounded by screens. Hell, we’re sure you’re reading this on a screen right now. And while we’ve previously covered the effects of blue light on the skin and whether or not it damages our eyes, we never put two and two together and thought about whether our pre-bedtime mobile phone scrolling could be contributing to our dark circles.
After all, when it comes to nighttime skin care, most of us are focused on rejuvenation and repair (as well as wrinkle banishment, thank you retinol serum). And so we’d hazard a guess that not many of us are thinking about blue light protection as we hit the hay.
So if you’re always checking the news, your messages, or the latest Instagram updates before bed, listen up…
What is blue light?
First things first, a quick refresh. Blue light, or ‘High Energy Visible’ light, is a wavelength of light that we’re exposed to in a number of ways. Sunlight is the main source, but your television, mobile, laptop, computer and tablet can also emit blue light. And it’s these devices that have drastically increased our total daily exposure to blue light – especially at night.
Can blue light cause dark circles?
Alright, so that ‘quick flick’ on your phone before bed… yeah, it’s not ideal. Firstly, it’s disrupting your natural circadian rhythm (a handy internal clock that tells you when to be sleepy and when to wake up). And secondly, it’s affecting your skin.
Sleeping isn’t just a cosy way to recharge your energy, it’s also how your skin cells repair themselves. And for the first time, a study undertaken by Estée Lauder* has demonstrated that blue light at night is impacting this natural repair process.
“Results indicate that exposure to blue light at night can throw skin’s natural circadian rhythm ‘out-of-sync’, causing skin cells to continue to ‘think’ it is daytime, inhibiting their natural nighttime repair process,” explains Dr. Nadine Pernodet, Estée Lauder Global Vice President of Skin Biology & Skin Actives.
But what does that actually mean? Basically, blue light is getting in the way. It’s stopping your skin cells from properly repairing themselves overnight, which can lead to an accumulation of damage, dark circles and more visible signs of ageing.
Combine this with a lack of sleep, and therefore more screen time as you struggle to snooze, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for dark circles every morning.
How can blue light damage be prevented?
If giving up your nighttime Netflix binge seems impossible (feels), there are other options.
Given that the skin surrounding your eyes is incredibly delicate, it’s a good place to start. Adding an eye cream to your nighttime routine can help to prevent damage, particularly if it contains ingredients rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help to neutralise free radicals and also inhibit blue light from penetrating the skin.
So consider an eye cream packed with the stuff like a shield between your skin and your phone.
bh recommends:
- Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery, $110 at Myer
- innisfree Green Tea Seed Eye Cream, $37 at Adore Beauty
- Eau Thermale Avène A-Oxitive Smoothing Eye Contour Cream, $46.99 at Chemist Warehouse
- Rodan + Fields REDEFINE Multi-Function Eye Cream, $95 at rodanandfields.com.au
- Weleda Pomegranate Firming Eye Cream, $42.95 at Adore Beauty
You can also try these practical tips to reduce exposure…
- Switching your mobile to ‘night shift’ mode in the evenings
- Getting a blue light blocking app for your mobile
- Getting a blue light filter for your devices or glasses
- Avoiding devices as much as you can before bed
Do you look at your mobile before bed? Do you have dark circles?
*Estée Lauder Sensory testing on 128 women in the USA
This is just the kick up the butt I need to stop scrolling through my mobile before bed
Haha, this wasn’t the kick up the butt I needed. I’m still guilty of this months later.
You are not the only one!
Hm, do not know that phone causes dark circles. Or my tablet/laptop. I have no dark circles. I know that eating badly does do that. For sure.
And sometimes they are just hereditary.
I do use my mobile at night but make a point of not taking it to the bedroom.
I should totally do that!
What do you do before bed?
I need a new habit.
It’s good sleep hygiene to leave devices out of the bedroom.
Agree, phone does not belong in the bedroom.
Yes guilty of late night screen use- though not mobile ph. Other issues cause the dark circles too
I am guilty too -I use my tablet a lot at night -good article
I generally don’t check my phone at that time – it’s just not a habit that I have thankfully
A habit i need to break
A necessary habit, but I always use an eye cream at night so hopefully that really does help.
I don’t use my phone a lot but play games on my tablet at night so that is probably worse
My circadian rhythms have been out of whack for years, but it’s not from screens – I’ve got a hormonal dysfunction. I use the night light on my computer. Luckily, I seldom get dark circles: usually only if I’m unwell.
Guilty of this too. I should put my phone out of my reach so that I’m not tempted to grab it. A lady I use to work with would charge her phone at night in her kitchen so that she wasn’t on it in bed.
A very interesting thing for Estee Lauder to study, I try and stay away from phones, laptops etc , at least 30 minutes before bed.
Guilty!
Thanks so very much BH for your indepth information regarding Blue Light, wondered why I couldn’t get rid of my dark circles. Unfortunately I do spend a long time on my phone, because it is my Computer as well.
Will be trying a new eye serum soon, hopefully it will help get rid of my dark circles would be wonderful.
I’ve got bags upon bags.
I’m on my PC right up to the time I go to bed – usually watching a movie or a TV series. I’m going to cut back on night time usage for a month to see what happens.
This is interesting. I don’t do this often, but yeah, it happens.
I’m sure people have had dark circles before mobiles.
using them too close to going to bed probably isn’t good for your sleeping habits though.
True this!
Yes, guilty
Dehydration, bad diet , high protein diet…all contribute. Do not think blue light does anything.
For me its just pure lack of quality sleep
ahhh this is the last thing I want to see/know. I’m guilty of ‘unwinding’ in bed by scrolling through socials rather than sleeping
Who would have thought it can affect our skin. I use an eye cream every night and morning too
I’ve put a timer on my phone for do not disturb mode once that’s on, the phone is out of sight
That is a good thing to do!
What a fantastic idea!
My phone screen goes black at 10pm and that alerts me to the fact that I should not be using it anymore. I also get qantas points for not using the phone after 10pm and before 7am
Like many of us, I am guilty too. It is good to get a reminder to cut back!
Interesting, though I think stress affects me the most!
I should probably log off then, lol
Ah I’m so addicted to my phone and my iPad and work with my laptop all day!
Nope – straight from Netflix to bed to sleep for me.
I slather on serum and eye cream before bed but cant sleep so guilty of scrolling or playing games.
Not getting quality sleep is much more likely to cause dark circles – I would say a much bigger change you could make is to reduce drinking which negatively affects your ability to get proper sleep cycles.
I need to stop needlessly scrolling at night
I don’t scroll through my phone at night but I am guilty of using my laptop right up until I go to bed. In fact, my computer desk and laptop is literally next to my bed due to the small size of my bedroom. So I watch Netflix movies on my laptop too.
Thank goodness I haven’t noticed any dark circles under my eyes yet but I am developing baggy under eyes which I expect is due to my age. I use an eye cream both day and night and have stated to use one to address baggy eyes.
I have dark circles that are hereditary. I have my phone set to block blue light and only use it for reading books to help me get tired enough to go to sleep
I have the night-time mode set on my mobile 24/7 but I’ve still got dark circles 🙁 Might have to give some of these products a try & see if they help.
I’m terribly guilty of using my phone in bed. Luckily I have some trusty full coverage concealers
Some great creams and serums featured.
Mine are just hereditary.
I have dark circles.This might be the reason.
I do look at my phone before bed then turn it off at night so a very interesting read, thanks bh.
I feel like bad dark circles under the eyes are also a genetic thing. But sometimes if its not intense then i feel like that can be avoided
My eye doctor just added blue light filters to my reading glasses so this is def a thing!
Get rid of dark circle I have used dark circle dermalmd serum for around 10days. I have very dark under eye. Eyes look better than before . Lines under eyes have reduced. I used to cover my dark circles using make up. My under eyes makeup use to crack because of lines. It’s very much improved. Eyes area looks fresh and supple.
I get dark circles very easily, but for me its more to do with not getting enough sleep. Barely using my phone lately and enjoying the break!
Um…guilty 🙁
I really should try to turn my phone off earlier.