Taylor Swift's skin doctor says we should be wearing sunblock when looking at screens

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Experts have long warned that UV rays from the sun are harmful to our skin.

But according to one skincare specialist, our smartphones and computers can cause just as much damage as the sun.

In fact, Dr Howard Murad - an American dermatologist to A-list stars including Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, and Jerry Hall - claims that spending four days in front of screens that emit harmful blue rays is the equivalent to 20 minutes in front of the sun, according to Daily Mail.

The expert made his startling comments during a This Morning segment and revealed we can protect ourselves and prevent further damage with an ingredient called lutein, which is found in some sunscreens, and also naturally in food such as goji berries.

Dr Murad, who has his own multi-million pound skincare range, told viewers it is important to eat natural food that contains sunscreen and apply at least a tablespoon of the lotion to our faces before going in the sun.

Dr Murad told This Morning hosts Holy Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: "Look for sunscreen that contains lutein, because that helps protect from the blue rays.

"It's really important. It's something that you should be using," the skincare specialist advised.

Demonstrating how effective sunscreen with lutein is, Dr Murad shone a blue light on a piece of white card showing the blue light.

He then placed a vial of the lutein in front of the light, which then didn't show up on the card proving how vital the compound is when it comes to protecting the skin.

"Wow, that's amazing," exclaimed presenter Holly Willoughby.

Blue light is emitted from screens which can suppress production of melatonin as well as penetrate deep into the layers of your skin and damage collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin.

You can dim the light on your phone and computer screen to lessen the impact of the blue light, or apply a blue light filter, but it is not guaranteed to prevent damage.

Dr Murad advised that people can also "eat" natural sunscreen through fruit like pomegranate, watermelon and pink grapefruit, which helps reduce sun damage.

"They're antioxidants and anti-inflammatory, so help minimise the damage from the rays," the medical expert explained.

He added that people should use a full tablespoon of sunscreen with protection from UVA and UVB rays on their face alone and reapply at least every two to three hours, and half an hour before going in the sun.

Holly said: "I am shocked about how much sunscreen we should be using, I have never heard that before."

Who is Dr Murad?

Dr Howard Murad M.D. is the founder of Murad Skincare and has been dubbed "the father of internal skincare".

A trained pharmacist and a physician who specialises in dermatology, he is believed to count celebrities such as Jerry Hall, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Cattrall on his client list.

His skincare range is sold around the world and also is the director of the Murad Inclusive Medical Group, and Murad Research Laboratories as well as being an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA.