Do YOU have Netflix face? How your phone, laptop and iPad are coming for your skin

Experts at skincare brand Eucerin found that HEVL penetrates deeper into the skin than UVB. This leads to premature ageing by accelerating the oxidation process, causing hyperpigmentation, inflammation and damage to the skin barrier. So bingeing an entire series of Stranger Things in a day will be written all over your face, and we’re not just talking dark circles. Think ashy tone and lack of glow – like a digital hangover for your face. But with the right skincare, can we live to Snapchat another day? I resisted the urge to Google it (more blue light) and instead made a few phone calls.

GENERATION PIGMENTATION

Dr Dendy Engelman, consulting dermatologist for Elizabeth Arden, says that over the past ten years her patients have got younger. “Women in their early twenties come into my office with heightened pigmentation. When I look into the waiting room, they’re all sat staring at their screens. As this accelerated hyperpigmentation is developing out of proportion to their sun damage and darkening over the winter months, we know it can’t be due to UV. The pigment cells are feeding off this new indoor light pollution.”

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HEVL stimulates enzymes in the skin that trigger excess melanin production, leading to patchy discolouration, dullness and uneven skintone. Interestingly, studies prove that this particular form of light pollution has a more damaging effect in terms of pigment on darker skintones. In a consecutive four-day SkinCeuticals study, Fitzpatrick types 1 and 2 (pale, blonde or red hair, freckles) had a 4.3% increase in pigmentation damage. However, in Fitzpatrick types 5 and 6 (including Middle-Eastern, Asian and black skintones) the increase was 18.1%. Look in the mirror, particularly at the side of your face you take phone calls on.

Is there a difference in the smattering of pigmentation? Dr Engelman suggests going hands-free to limit the exposure to light when your phone is held directly to your skin, while skincare expert Paula Begoun advises switching your screen to night mode to lessen the amount of HEVL emitted.

Dr Marko Lens, plastic surgeon and founder of Zelens Skincare says it’s not just pigmentation we should be wary of. Think about how hot your face feels after chatting on the phone: that’s inflammation. “The skin’s circulation has increased quickly, enlarging the blood vessels and causing short-term redness,” explains Dr Lens. “Cumulative behaviour takes its toll, compromising both our skin’s barrier function and collagen stores, causing skin to slacken. A topical antioxidant is essential to combat pigmentation and inflammation.”

Vitamin C is the gold standard when it comes to brightening pigmentation, vitamin A (or retinol) helps to stimulate collagen and stabilise free radicals, while cutting-edge brands are now incorporating carotenoid antioxidant lutein into formulations developed for chronic screen-scrollers.

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FACIAL FIX

If all this wasn’t enough to prompt you to put down your phone, another result of our screen addiction is an altered face shape. “Continuous looking down and squinting has changed the way people’s faces sit,” celebrity facialist Nichola Joss tells me. “I’ve seen a significant decrease in the tension of facial muscles.”

The Y-zone is a new area of concern; sagging cheeks, jowls and a creased décolleté never usually appeared until middle age. Remedy this by arming yourself with a Yu Ling Jade Facial Roller (£22, Cult Beauty) and use upward motions to relax the muscles during your next screening. Take extra care in the office, which has its own beauty microclimate. It’s a hotbed for inflammation when teamed with a face-on assault from your computer screen, plus heat from overhead LED lighting. Keep the new D-Pollution Essentiel Daily Protection Mist (£48, Chanel) on your desk and spritz hourly – it’s been proven to lower oxidative stress by 16%.

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It might be the silent skin enemy facing our generation, but the good news is it’s easy to prevent HEVL damage. For healthy-looking skin worthy of a #NoFilter, the options are to wear daily SPF and invest in modern pollution solutions – or give up your Instagram habit. It’s an easy choice, really.