Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering

Can Light Emitted from Smartphone Screens and Taking Selfies Cause Premature Aging and Wrinkles?

Document Type : Short Communication

Authors

N Arjmandi 1
Gh Mortazavi 1
S Zarei 2
M Faraz 3
S A R Mortazavi 3

1 Ionizing and Non-ionizing Radiation Protection Research Center (INIRPRC), Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Student Research Committee, School of Rehabilitation, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.599
Abstract
Since the early days of human life on the Earth, our skin has been exposed to different levels of light. Recently, due to inevitable consequences of modern life, humans are not exposed to adequate levels of natural light during the day but they are overexposed to relatively high levels of artificial light at night. Skin is a major target of oxidative stress and the link between aging and oxidative stress is well documented. Especially, extrinsic skin aging can be caused by oxidative stress. The widespread use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the rapidly increasing use of smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers have led to a significant rise in the exposure of human eyes to short-wavelength visible light. Recent studies show that exposure of human skin cells to light emitted from electronic devices, even for exposures as short as 1 hour, may cause reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, apoptosis, and necrosis. The biological effects of exposure to short-wavelength visible light in blue region in humans and other living organisms were among our research priorities at the Ionizing and Non-ionizing Radiation Protection Research Center (INIRPRC). Today, there is a growing concern over the safety of the light sources such as LEDs with peak emissions in the blue light range (400-490 nm). Recent studies aimed at investigating the effect of exposure to light emitted from electronic device on human skin cells, shows that even short exposures can increase the generation of reactive oxygen species. However, the biological effects of either long-term or repeated exposures are not fully known, yet. Furthermore, there are reports indicating that frequent exposure to visible light spectrum of the selfie flashes may cause skin damage and accelerated skin ageing. In this paper we have addressed the different aspects of potential effects of exposure to the light emitted from smartphones’ digital screens as well as smartphones’ photoflashes on premature aging of the human skin. Specifically, the effects of blue light on eyes and skin are discussed. Based on current knowledge, it can be suggested that changing the spectral output of LED-based smartphones’ flashes can be introduced as an effective method to reduce the adverse health effects associated with exposure to blue light.

Keywords

Smartphones
Mobile Phones
Selfies
Skin Damage
Skin Aging
Blue Light
  1. Austin E, Huang A, Adar T, Wang E, Jagdeo J. Electronic device generated light increases reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts. Lasers Surg Med. 2018 doi: 10.1002/lsm.22794.
  2. Rinnerthaler M, Bischof J, Streubel MK, Trost A, Richter K. Oxidative stress in aging human skin. Biomolecules. 2015;5:545-89. doi: 10.3390/biom5020545. PubMed PMID: 25906193; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4496685.
  3. Kohen R. Skin antioxidants: their role in aging and in oxidative stress--new approaches for their evaluation. Biomed Pharmacother. 1999;53:181-92. doi: 10.1016/S0753-3322(99)80087-0. PubMed PMID: 10392290.
  4. Poljsak B, Dahmane RG, Godic A. Intrinsic skin aging: the role of oxidative stress. Acta Dermatovenerol Alp Pannonica Adriat. 2012;21:33-6. PubMed PMID: 23000938.
  5. Mortazavi SM, Motamedifar M, Namdari G, Taheri M, Mortazavi AR, Shokrpour N. Non-linear adaptive phenomena which decrease the risk of infection after pre-exposure to radiofrequency radiation. Dose Response. 2014;12:233-45. doi: 10.2203/dose-response.12-055.Mortazavi. PubMed PMID: 24910582; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4036396.
  6. Mortazavi SM, Taeb S, Dehghan N. Alterations of visual reaction time and short term memory in military radar personnel. Iran J Public Health. 2013;42:428-35. PubMed PMID: 23785684; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3684731.
  7. Mortazavi SM, Rouintan MS, Taeb S, Dehghan N, Ghaffarpanah AA, Sadeghi Z, et al. Human short-term exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones decreases computer-assisted visual reaction time. Acta Neurol Belg. 2012;112:171-5. doi: 10.1007/s13760-012-0044-y. PubMed PMID: 22426673.
  8. Mortazavi S, Mosleh-Shirazi M, Tavassoli A, Taheri M, Mehdizadeh A, Namazi S, et al. Increased Radioresistance to Lethal Doses of Gamma Rays in Mice and Rats after Exposure to Microwave Radiation Emitted by a GSM Mobile Phone Simulator. Dose Response. 2013;11:281-92. doi: 10.2203/dose-response.12-010.Mortazavi. PubMed PMID: 23930107; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3682203.
  9. Mortazavi S, Mosleh-Shirazi M, Tavassoli A, Taheri M, Bagheri Z, Ghalandari R, et al. A comparative study on the increased radioresistance to lethal doses of gamma rays after exposure to microwave radiation and oral intake of flaxseed oil. International Journal of Radiation Research. 2011;9:9.
  10. Mortavazi S, Habib A, Ganj-Karami A, Samimi-Doost R, Pour-Abedi A, Babaie A. Alterations in TSH and Thyroid Hormones following Mobile Phone Use. Oman Med J. 2009;24:274-8. doi: 10.5001/omj.2009.56. PubMed PMID: 22216380; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3243874.
  11. Mortazavi SM, Daiee E, Yazdi A, Khiabani K, Kavousi A, Vazirinejad R, et al. Mercury release from dental amalgam restorations after magnetic resonance imaging and following mobile phone use. Pak J Biol Sci. 2008;11:1142-6. PubMed PMID: 18819554.
  12. Mortazavi SM, Ahmadi J, Shariati M. Prevalence of subjective poor health symptoms associated with exposure to electromagnetic fields among university students. Bioelectromagnetics. 2007;28:326-30. doi: 10.1002/bem.20305. PubMed PMID: 17330851.
  13. Mortazavi S, Motamedifar M, Namdari G, Taheri M, Mortazavi A. Counterbalancing immunosuppression-induced infections during long-term stay of humans in space. Journal of Medical Hypotheses and Ideas. 2013;7:8-10.
  14. Mortazavi SM, Atefi M, Kholghi F. The pattern of mobile phone use and prevalence of self-reported symptoms in elementary and junior high school students in shiraz, iran. Iran J Med Sci. 2011;36:96-103. PubMed PMID: 23358105; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3556746.
  15. Mortazavi SM, Mahbudi A, Atefi M, Bagheri S, Bahaedini N, Besharati A. An old issue and a new look: electromagnetic hypersensitivity caused by radiations emitted by GSM mobile phones. Technol Health Care. 2011;19:435-43. doi: 10.3233/THC-2011-0641. PubMed PMID: 22129944.
  16. Mortazavi S. Safety issues of mobile phone base stations. Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering. 2013;3.
  17. Mortazavi S, Parsanezhad M, Kazempour M, Ghahramani P, Mortazavi A, Davari M. Male reproductive health under threat: Short term exposure to radiofrequency radiations emitted by common mobile jammers. J Hum Reprod Sci. 2013;6:124-8. doi: 10.4103/0974-1208.117178. PubMed PMID: 24082653; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3778601.
  18. Rafati A, Rahimi S, Talebi A, Soleimani A, Haghani M, Mortazavi SM. Exposure to Radiofrequency Radiation Emitted from Common Mobile Phone Jammers Alters the Pattern of Muscle Contractions: an Animal Model Study. J Biomed Phys Eng. 2015;5:133-42. PubMed PMID: 26396969; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4576874.
  19. Shekoohi Shooli F, Mortazavi SA, Jarideh S, Nematollahii S, Yousefi F, Haghani M, et al. Short-Term Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields Generated by Mobile Phone Jammers Decreases the Fasting Blood Sugar in Adult Male Rats. J Biomed Phys Eng. 2016;6(1):27-32. PubMed PMID: 27026952; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC4795326.
  20. Mortazavi SMJ, Tavassoli A, Ranjbari F, Moammaiee P. Effects of laptop computers’ electromagnetic field on sperm quality. Journal of Reproduction & Infertility. 2010;11(4):251-8.
  21. Mortazavi SM, Vazife-Doost S, Yaghooti M, Mehdizadeh S, Rajaie-Far A. Occupational exposure of dentists to electromagnetic fields produced by magnetostrictive cavitrons alters the serum cortisol level. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2012;3:60-4. doi: 10.4103/0976-9668.95958. PubMed PMID: 22690053; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3361780.
  22. Mortazavi SM, Neghab M, Anoosheh SM, Bahaeddini N, Mortazavi G, Neghab P, et al. High-field MRI and mercury release from dental amalgam fillings. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2014;5:101-5. PubMed PMID: 24748001.
  23. Mortazavi SM, Daiee E, Yazdi A, Khiabani K, Kavousi A, Vazirinejad R, et al. Mercury release from dental amalgam restorations after magnetic resonance imaging and following mobile phone use. Pak J Biol Sci. 2008;11:1142-6. PubMed PMID: 18819554.
  24. Mortazavi G, Mortazavi SM. Increased mercury release from dental amalgam restorations after exposure to electromagnetic fields as a potential hazard for hypersensitive people and pregnant women. Rev Environ Health. 2015;30:287-92. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2015-0017. PubMed PMID: 26544100.
  25. Mahmoudi R, Mortazavi S, Safari S, Nikseresht M, Mozdarani H, Jafari M, et al. Effects of microwave electromagnetic radiations emitted from common Wi-Fi routers on rats’ sperm count and motility. International Journal of Radiation Research. 2015;13:363-8.
  26. Haghnegahdar A, Khosrovpanah H, Andisheh-Tadbir A, Mortazavi G, Saeedi Moghadam M, Mortazavi S, et al. Design and fabrication of helmholtz coils to study the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on the healing process in periodontitis: preliminary animal results. J Biomed Phys Eng. 2014;4:83-90. PubMed PMID: 25505775; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4258865.
  27. Paknahad M, Shahidi S, Mortazavi SMJ, Mortazavi G, SAEEDI MM, DEHGHANI NA. The effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields on microleakage of amalgam restorations: an in vitro study. Shiraz E-Med J. 2016;17(e32329).
  28. Mortazavi SM, Mortazavi SA, Habibzadeh P, Mortazavi G. Is it Blue Light or Increased Electromagnetic Fields which Affects the Circadian Rhythm in People who Use Smartphones at Night. Iran J Public Health. 2016;45:405–6.
  29. Tosini G, Ferguson I, Tsubota K. Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. Mol Vis. 2016;22:61-72. PubMed PMID: 26900325; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4734149.
  30. Seiler MJ, Liu OL, Cooper NG, Callahan TL, Petry HM, Aramant RB. Selective photoreceptor damage in albino rats using continuous blue light. A protocol useful for retinal degeneration and transplantation research. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2000;238(7):599-607. PubMed PMID: 10955662.
  31. Wu J, Chen E, Soderberg PG. Failure of ascorbate to protect against broadband blue light-induced retinal damage in rat. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 1999;237:855-60. PubMed PMID: 10502061.
  32. Rukmini AV, Milea D, Baskaran M, How AC, Perera SA, Aung T, et al. Pupillary Responses to High-Irradiance Blue Light Correlate with Glaucoma Severity. Ophthalmology. 2015;122:1777-85. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.06.002.
  33. Chiarelli-Neto O, Ferreira AS, Martins WK, Pavani C, Severino D, Faiao-Flores F, et al. Melanin photosensitization and the effect of visible light on epithelial cells. PLoS One. 2014;9:e113266. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113266. PubMed PMID: 25405352; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4236153.
  34. Kleinpenning MM, Smits T, Frunt MH, van Erp PE, van de Kerkhof PC, Gerritsen RM. Clinical and histological effects of blue light on normal skin. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2010;26:16-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0781.2009.00474.x. PubMed PMID: 20070834.
  35. Oplander C, Deck A, Volkmar CM, Kirsch M, Liebmann J, Born M, et al. Mechanism and biological relevance of blue-light (420-453 nm)-induced nonenzymatic nitric oxide generation from photolabile nitric oxide derivates in human skin in vitro and in vivo. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013;65:1363-77. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.09.022.
  36. Walker DP, Vollmer-Snarr HR, Eberting CL. Ocular hazards of blue-light therapy in dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012;66:130-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2010.11.040. PubMed PMID: 21536341.
  37. Sparsa A, Faucher K, Sol V, Durox H, Boulinguez S, Doffoel-Hantz V, et al. Blue light is phototoxic for B16F10 murine melanoma and bovine endothelial cell lines by direct cytocidal effect. Anticancer Res. 2010;30:143-7. PubMed PMID: 20150629.
  38. Vandersee S, Beyer M, Lademann J, Darvin ME. Blue-violet light irradiation dose dependently decreases carotenoids in human skin, which indicates the generation of free radicals. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2015;2015:579675. doi: 10.1155/2015/579675. PubMed PMID: 25741404; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4337113.
  39. LEDs Magazine. Implementing LED flash in camera phones.April 2005. Available From: http://www ledsmagazine com/features/2/4/1/1,(4 pages)
  40. Kimme F, Brick P, Chatterjee S, Tran QK. Optimized flash light-emitting diode spectra for mobile phone cameras. Appl Opt. 2013;52:8779-88. doi: 10.1364/AO.52.008779. PubMed PMID: 24513943.
Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering
Volume 8, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
30
Autumn 2018
Pages 447-452

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Guide for Reviewers

Contact Us