Pollution can wreak havoc on your skin. Here's how to safeguard against it
There’s no getting away from it, pollution may be imperceptible in the air, but countless studies are showing the effect it’s having on our skin is far from invisible. In fact, the director-general of the World Health Organisation has described air pollution as "one of the most pernicious threats to global public health" and alongside sun exposure, pollution has been identified as the main cause of premature ageing, increased skin sensitivity and lack of radiance.
Just this week, London's major, Sadiq Khan, issued a high pollution warning in the capital after a build-up of global and local emissions saw pollution particles in the air spike. It's bad news for our health, of course, and it's bad news for our skin.
“According to a study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, exposure to air and particle pollution significantly correlates to an increase in signs of skin ageing,” says Sally Penford, director of education at Dermalogica. In practice, pollution infiltrating our skin is responsible for redness, dullness and fine lines. “The scary thing about pollution is most pollution particles are 20-40 times smaller than our pores so it is very easy for them to settle deep down in our skin and wreak havoc on our skin health,” says Dr Dendy Engelman, Elizabeth Arden Consulting Dermatologist.
So what can we do to shield our skin from pollution and what are the best products to use? We asked the experts below.
What is pollution?
“The world ‘pollution’ rather gives the impression that it’s one monster that we’re fighting but there are masses of types of pollution, each of which has a different effect on our skin,” says Georgie Cleeve, founder of skincare brand Oskia.
“For example, the ones that we come across on a daily basis and that do the worst damage to the skin, are pM (or particulate matter), which are tiny pieces of metal under 0.2mg that due to their tiny size, penetrate through the skin pores into the lower layers and cause inflammation and DNA and cellular damage.
"We then have four different types of free-radicals, (more on those below) mostly caused by industry. We also have man-made ozone which attacks skin cells in a similar way to free radicals,” she adds.
A skincare staple you might have not known you needed.
How does pollution affect our skin?
“The microscopic contaminants in air pollution, help to produce (the aforementioned) ‘free radicals,’” explains Sally. “Think of these as angry little PacMan characters that bounce around, destroying and damaging essential elements in your skin,” says David Delport Global Ambassador at REN Clean Skincare. “This can cause damage to your collagen, elastin (skin proteins) and lipids (the glue that holds it all together). The result in extreme cases is a broken or compromised skin barrier which manifests as redness, itchiness, flakiness, dryness and dehydration,” he adds.
“When healthy, the skin is a pretty efficient filter of what’s good versus what’s bad,” explains Sally, but when compromised, it’s not able to retain moisture and keep out dirt and other impurities,” she says. “Bacteria can find its way in,” agrees David, which causes even more problems. “Some clients are allergic to pollution particles from the onset, while others might just find their skin looks a little more grey than usual, with an increase in congestion and blackheads.”
Added to this, “there is a clear correlation between exposure to high levels of ambient particulate matter [in pollution] and extrinsic signs of skin ageing including hyperpigmentation on the face and cheeks,” reveals Dr Dendy.
Is pollution worse in the city than the countryside?
“Sadly, it can affect us everywhere and in unexpected places,” says David. If you’re lucky enough to live in a little village, those quaint narrow streets can act as concentrating funnels for car fumes. If you live within 100 meters of a busy road, chances are you’ll develop more pigmentation because levels of pollution in these areas can be as high as London,” he adds.
If you’re interested to know how much pollution you’re coming into contact with personally, Dermalogica has designed a widget that works out your pollution levels based on your location. But, the bottom line is, “protection is pretty much essential everywhere, especially when exposed to car fumes and industrial pollution,” says David.
What are the steps we can take to tackle the effects of pollution on our skin?
Firstly, “limit exposure,” says David, “(choose smaller, less busy roads to walk on). Next, “cleanse, double cleanse or even triple cleanse at night to remove daily pollution," says Sue Nabi, founder of bio-fermented skincare brand, Orveda.
Consultant dermatologist, Dr Sandeep Cliff, agrees; "I advise my patients to double cleanse with a powerful acid cleanser to neutralise any particles in the skin,” he says. “Follow with an exfoliant in your evening regimen,” says Sally, “to detoxify pores and prevent the adherence of pollutants to skin.” Then, "layer your skincare (a serum, a fluid and a daily moisturiser) to create layers of protection that will keep small particles on top of the skin and will protect from makeup penetration,” explains Sue.
Finally, block, shield and counteract against pollution with active products,” says David. “Antioxidants, help strengthen the skin and neutralise the primary triggers of skin ageing,” says Sally. How? If we think about our cell membranes as a zipper, free radicals unzip the zipper and cause the cell to die,” explains Dr Dendy. “Antioxidants insert themselves into the zipper (or the cell membrane) and stop that unzipping. That is how they protect cells from premature cell death and accelerated damage.”
“Always look for products that are formulated purely for pollution protection and that have been clinically proven to do so,” adds Georgie. “Antioxidants are very volatile and can become pro-oxidant very easily,” so make sure you're choosing brands that have done the research.
If your skin is very sensitive, "polyhydroxy acids, or PHAs, are also known to deliver antioxidant benefits without irritation," explains Dr Cliff. "PHAs help to neutralise the visible ageing effects of environmental stressors including pollution."
Aside from skincare another clever way of preventing pollution-related damage is to invest in an air purification device, like the Dyson Pure Cool purifying fan, which is able to reveal the indoor pollution you can’t see with an LCD display that reports on the pollutants in the home in real time, it then reacts automatically using a unique algorithm. The clever device then uses its in-built filter system, which combines an activated carbon filter to remove gases, and a Glass HEPA filter that captures 99.95% of microscopic allergens and pollutants as small as 0.1 microns, meaning you can relax in the knowledge that the air around you is clean.
Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant, £55, FeelUnique
This exfoliator is super potent thanks to its powder form which only becomes active once it comes into contact with water, ensuring optimal freshness. It contains powerful antioxidants to help neutralise free radicals on skin, purifying charcoal to absorb and remove toxins as well as smoothing AHAs to deliver on radiance. After cleansing, mix half a teaspoon of the powder into wet hands, massage into a paste, apply to skin, then rinse with warm water and a face cloth.
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Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Ageing Treatment Boosting Cleanser, £44, LookFantastic
“Prevage contains idebenone which is the most powerful antioxidant that is known to man,” says Dr Dendy, meaning it offers souped-up powers to neutralise free radicals and stop them from causing damage. But alongside counteracting them, their cleanser helps to manually shift pollution particles and toxins from skin. In fact, cleansing is one of the most important steps when protecting your skin against pollution.
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Dr Barbara Sturm Anti-Pollution Drops, £110, Space NK
This versatile serum contains special extracts from French Polynesian microorganisms, as well as an active ingredient obtained from cocoa seeds to protect skin. Add a few drops into your moisturiser, makeup... everything.
Dr Roebuck Tasse Anti-Pollution Serum, £57, Revolve
Vitamin B3 is one of the most powerful topical antioxidants and anti-inflammatory supplements, so it helps that this serum is packed full of it.
Oskia CityLife Concentrate, £110, Look Fantastic
This may be pricey but it’s clinically proven to work. “Our CityLife Booster contains a host of very specific actives that each target a specific pollutant. It took two years of formulation to get the results we wanted. It protects against up to 97% of the four free-radicals (mentioned above) and 98% of particulate matter as small as 0.1mg,” says Georgie. Add 1-3 drops into your regular skincare (such as your moisturiser) and massage it into skin. Due to its ultra high concentration, it can’t be applied neat.
Save when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
REN Clean Skincare Flash Defence Anti-Pollution Mist, £24, Escentual
This acts more like a physical barrier over the skin rather than the traditional route of high antioxidants to repair already incurred damage. It’s a naturally occurring polysaccharide gum and traps pollution particles before they touch skin and cause damage. “The results are shocking and under a microscope you can clearly see the particles stuck in the gum and not your skin,” says David. As an additional benefit the product also smooths the skin’s texture and sets makeup beautifully.
Orveda Deep Cleaning Bio-Fermented Rich Balm, £89, Harvey Nichols
When used in conjunction with the professional grade kabuki brush, this balm makes for a powerful pollution solution. Containing a coconut oil derivative, it's able to deeply cleanse while still being gentle to skin.
Great Eight Daily Defense Moisturiser SPF35, £9.99, Direct Cosmetics
Packed with eight skin protecting benefits, not only does this shield against pollution, it also defends against UVA, UVB, Infared and Blue Light.
