If you’ve heard it once, you heard it a million times: The sun’s ultraviolet rays are your skin’s worst enemy. Knowing what we know about the sun and its age-accelerating abilities, dermatologists and skin care experts go to great lengths to make sure their patients do everything and anything to protect their skin from photodamage.
But, there’s another type of light that’s being said to be as damaging to your skin as the sun. And it’s pretty impossible to escape it unless you’re going to live in the dark—literally.
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Aesthetician Emme Diane says that indoor light, mainly in the form of fluorescent and halogen, emit low levels of UVA light that can be hazardous to skin. “These are the rays that damage and age skin and cause skin cancer,” she adds. “The coating on the outside of the light bulbs is designed to protect us from these rays, but new studies show that this may not always be true. There are often cracks in the coating that let the rays escape.”
While the rays emitted from bulbs aren’t nearly as strong as what’s released from the sun, the constant exposure can definitely add up. “I recommend switching out any lights that you can swap for LED light bulbs and always protecting your skin. Make sure to wear sunscreen every day, even if you don’t plan on going outside,” says Diane.
