What your screen time is really doing to your skin

In an era where the average adult spends more than seven hours a day in front of a screen, the glow of our digital lives is doing more than just straining our eyes. It’s infiltrating our sleep, triggering stress, and perhaps most surprisingly, altering the health and appearance of our skin.

While the term “scroll fatigue” might sound like pop science or wellness jargon, dermatologists and wellness professionals are beginning to observe tangible patterns in how prolonged screen use is showing up—literally—on our faces.

How screen usage impacts our skin

“We do see signs of excessive screen usage on the skin,” Dr Kiran Kaur Sethi, medical director of Isya Aesthetics Clinic, Delhi, notes. “One, we get extra blue light exposure, which causes increased melanin secretion or pigmentation and increased skin ageing. The second issue is postural, which means you can get tech neck as well as more wrinkles around the jawline and laugh lines due to constantly looking down at your phone. You can also get more wrinkles on your forehead and glabella from focusing on the small print on your phone. Finally, due to late-night screen usage, you can have disrupted sleep, which can worsen your under-eye circles and cause more discolouration.”

This phenomenon is not just anecdotal. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that high-energy visible (HEV) light—the kind emitted by phones, tablets, and laptops—can penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays, potentially accelerating photoageing, collagen breakdown, and hyperpigmentation.

Further research by Unilever Research and Development found that 30 hours of exposure to blue light from screens can increase inflammation in skin cells by up to 40 per cent, and four days of exposure at close range could match the oxidative stress caused by 20 minutes of midday sun without sunscreen.

In parallel, postural changes, such as constantly tilting the head downward to check phones, not only cause musculoskeletal concerns but also result in premature facial lines. This is especially visible around the neck and lower face, which dermatologists now refer to as “tech neck”.

But beyond the visible toll, there's a more insidious internal disruption at play—one that interferes with the body’s most fundamental restoration system: sleep.

“Typically, when you are exposed to blue light late at night, it affects the circadian rhythms,” Dr Sethi explains. “So your melatonin and growth hormone secretion is inhibited, thereby causing reduced renewal. It also reduces your sleep, which is not good for you at all.”

Blue light interferes with melatonin, a hormone essential not only for regulating sleep but also for facilitating overnight skin regeneration. According to the Sleep Foundation, up to 75 per cent of individuals who use screens before bedtime report worsened sleep quality, and consistent nighttime exposure has been shown to suppress melatonin secretion.

This disruption also has dermatological consequences. A study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) shows that poor sleep can increase transepidermal water loss, a key indicator of a compromised skin barrier.

Dr Sethi adds, “I have not seen a direct improvement in skin conditions like acne and eczema after a client took a digital detox, but I have seen an improvement in under-eye circles after patients took digital detoxes.”

Under-eye circles, often the first place where fatigue registers, are now being linked not just to lack of sleep, but also prolonged eye strain and blue light overexposure, especially during nighttime hours.

There’s also the stress angle. Doomscrolling—habitual consumption of negative or anxiety-inducing content—triggers psychological distress, which, as science increasingly confirms, has a direct link to skin health. Cortisol, the hormone that spikes under stress, can inflame sebaceous glands, increase oil production, and exacerbate conditions like acne, rosacea, and eczema.

“Well, the best method is to reduce your screen time. If doomscrolling is causing you lots of anxiety, then that will increase your cortisol levels, which will increase acne. The only treatment for that is to reduce your screen time and stop scrolling,” Dr Sethi says. “Other than that, exercise, proper sleep, and meditation can help your stress levels.”

This link between emotional health and skin

This link between emotional health and skin is the core of a growing field known as psychodermatology. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, up to 30 per cent of dermatologic conditions have a psychosomatic component—a likely underreported number.

With these overlapping concerns, beauty brands and dermatologists are adapting their prescriptions. Among the top innovations: SPF products that include iron oxide, a mineral that helps protect the skin from visible light, not just UV rays.

Dr Sethi says, “We all are exposed to screens so much now. Screen times are increasing, and with it, our exposure to blue light. We should include iron oxide in our SPF to protect against this blue light trauma.”

A 2020 article in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology supported the use of iron oxide in mineral sunscreens to offer reliable protection against visible light-induced pigmentation, particularly in individuals with darker skin tones.

So, is a digital detox now a part of a dermatologist-approved skincare routine?

While a digital detox may not replace your serums or actives, it might become the missing link in your routine, especially if your skincare goals go beyond the surface. Turning off the screen might just be the new act of radical self-care, not only for mental clarity but for the glow that no filter can fake.

Lead image: Getty

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