#1 How does pollution affect your skin?
You do this every day: wash your face, dispense toner onto a cotton ball and swipe your face. Have you ever been stunned by how dirty your face could be while looking at the brown scuzz on the cotton ball? You would be more surprised to know that the dirt and dust generated from pollution don’t just sit on your skin surface—Yes, the nanoparticles of chemicals attached to the pollutants can penetrate the skin and damage our skin barrier by breaking down collagen. Therefore, pollution could lead to pigmentation, dehydration and premature aging of your skin. It can also cause irritation, rashes, eczema and breakouts.
Traffic fumes, cigarette smoke, blue light from our phones, UV rays, etc. are common environmental stressors in modern life that could hurt your skin. Various studies have shown that women living in urban areas had more dark spots and wrinkling, as well as worse skin hydration than those living in rural environments.
#2 How does anti-pollution skincare work?
The keys to combat the adverse effects of pollution on your skin is cleaning properly to remove the tiny particles, and using products formulated with antioxidants daily to neutralize the particulates that could accelerate skin aging.
Antioxidants, particularly Vitamin C, are great in restoring a healthy skin barrier and stimulating the production of collagen. Therefore, incorporating antioxidant skincare products to your skincare routine can have great effects on protecting your skin from damages caused by pollution.
