How Your Phone Is Damaging Your Skin — & How To Make It Stop

Hopefully you've gotten it drilled into your head by now that protecting your skin from the sun's harsh rays with a daily SPF is essential — and hopefully you're already wising up to the potential damage blue light can cause, too. Also known as HEV, or High Energy Visible Light, blue light is the kind of light that gets emitted from our phones, tablets, and computers, a scary thought for those of us who wake up in the morning and fall asleep with iPhone in hand. (So, most of us?)

Research has shown that overexposure to blue light can, indeed, accelerate signs of aging, worsening the wrinkles, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation we've come to associate with too much sun. As dermatologist Howard Murad explains, "Excessive blue light accelerates the oxidation process, which elicits inflammation and damages the skin barrier, making it more prone to signs of aging, increased uneven skin tone, dullness, pigmentation, and fine lines and wrinkles."

Fortunately, where there's a skin-care problem, there's a skin-care solution. Our favorite brands are quickly catching on to the need for formulas that can combat the effects of blue light, which means a crop of new products that can help minimize that damage — and, in some cases, even prevent it before it happens. Click through to see our roundup of products to tackle HEV light, from SPFs to eye creams and everything in between.