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 Nicole Scherzinger, 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.

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.

Skincare specialist to the stars, Dr Howard Murad, says that spending four days in front of screens that emit harmful blue rays is the equivalent to 20 minutes in front of the sun. He explained how we should consider using sunscreen with an ingredient known as lutein

He explained to Holly and Phillip on This Morning that the compound can help protect our skin and eyes from the damaging blue rays on our phones

When the blue light is shone through the lutein vial, the light does not show up on the white card (left). Without the compound in the vial the light shows up on the card proving how protective and vital the ingredient is when it comes to blue light (right)

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BLUE RAYS Dr Murad shares his advice: Buy sunscreen that contains the ingredient lutein

Apply at least a tablespoon of sunscreen on our face and 35ml all over our body

'Eat' natural sunscreen found in food like pomegranate, watermelon and pink grapefruit

Dim the light on your screen or apply a blue light filter Advertisement

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 a professor at UCLA 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, Nicole Scherzinger, 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. Advertisement

After the segment Holly and Phil both expressed their surprise at how much damage the blue rays can do

This Morning is on weekdays, ITV at 10.30am