Urban Life of Your Skin. How Dust, Stress & Pollution Affect the Face?

Smog, dust, air-conditioning, being always in a rush – it’s a bonus you get for living in the city. A city dweller’s skin is incessantly bombarded by many factors which disturb its functioning, causing the premature appearance of wrinkles. Of course, the speed of aging is also determined by genes which we can’t change but we often unconsciously speed up the process. In what way?

Protection turns out to be of the highest importance in skin care while considering busy times we live in. The skin is far more grateful if you prevent its damage rather than try to fix it by feeding it nourishing substances. In other words, the must-do thing is to make sure that the inner skin repair processes run smoothly.

In what way does the sun destroy your skin?

The sun is accused of causing dehydration and thickening of the epidermis, as well as oxidative stress which triggers the activity of free radicals, destroying collagen and elastin fibers. Free radicals have a bad impact on the skin DNA. Nevertheless, we – city dwellers –  don’t always use sunblock. You should remember that sunrays which bounce off the walls of buildings bombard your skin with double power (so they are even more harmful than when you’re on the beach). To make things worse, the run radiation penetrates clothes and windowpanes – keep that in mind and protect your skin every day.

The best and actually the only protection can be ensured by sunblocks. We don’t like to give up on tan in summer because a sun-kissed face looks much younger and rested.

Can you combine skin safety with the urge to look lovely? Luckily, drugstores offer quality BB creams infused with SPF. The offer gets richer so you can choose between various shades, properties and filters in a given cream.

If you’re not permanently exposed to the sunlight and you move around between an office, house or school – medium sun protection is enough. Let’s not forget that lower SPF will have a different consistency and won’t be as greasy as higher factors. In the city, gift your face with protective foundations based on natural mineral filters. Such products won’t leave your skin weighed-down but will provide good coverage and enhance the skin.

Fumes, toxins, pollution – effect on skin

The condition of the skin in the city is worsened by environmental pollution which is rising because of industrial dust and car fumes, generating free radicals and massively attacking the skin. Consequently, they damage the natural protective barrier, block the delivery of oxygen, increase pigmentation and trigger discoloration, multiply wrinkles, lower the level of vitamins in skin, make blood vessels fragile.

How stress affects your skin?

The pace of urban life is so hectic that we often suffer from the permanent lack of time – not just for preparing a healthy meal. We tend to run out of time to sleep or relax – the essentials letting us relieve daily stress.

Cortisol is a stress hormone which is overproduced in unpleasant life situations. It is neither healthy nor skin-friendly. Studies have found that the maintained high level of cortisol results in more severe symptoms of psoriasis and eczema. However, when we speak of accelerated skin aging, we must know it is mostly connected with oxidative stress which is also triggered by busy lifestyle and the excess of cortisol.

Free radicals – what are they and how to fight them?

Free radicals come into being ‘thanks to’ oxidative stress and damage the cell membrane, destroy collagen and elastin, trigger the appearance of new wrinkles. This negative effect can be held back with antioxidant-infused products. Which ones are the strongest? Irreplaceable vitamin C turns out to remain the top weapon against free radicals – especially in a duo with vitamin E, flavonoids, coenzyme Q10 or beta-carotene. In the city, the sunlight is more dangerous than on the beach – being bounced off the walls and windows, it blinds you twice as much. To make things worse, it’s not easy to hide. The sunrays can’t be stopped by either clouds, windows or clothes. They even reach the subcutaneous tissue (UVB rays operate in shallower skin layers and are responsible for sunburns) and destroy collagen and elastin fibers at a faster pace.

Antioxidants – merciless to free radicals

Apply antioxidant-rich products during your morning routine so that they protect the skin throughout the day from the factors producing free radicals. Such products make up a protective shield from toxins and smog as well as keep neutralizing the effect of free radicals.

The more ‘guards’, the better so go for serums as well – an antioxidant-infused face serum (make sure it is rich in SPF).

During the nighttime routine, after cleansing the face, present it with a portion of skin-repairing products which stimulate renewal. The best ingredients include retinol, peptides, allantoin, omega acids (e.g. the ones in natural oils). Because the skin in the city is prone to getting dry, especially in summer – give it a moisture boost too. This way you keep it young, firm and elastic longer.