Anti Pollution Skin Care

With the rising levels of pollution in the cities, we are seeing problems in the skin such as dullness, uneven skin tone, premature ageing with wrinkles, lines and pigmentation.

There are toxic pollutants in the air that we are faced with on a daily basis from vehicles and factories, the polluted water bodies, the chemicals and toxic substances in food, all add to the toxic load that our system has to deal with.

This leads to free radical formation and oxidation in the skin. If not kept in check this leads to irreversible damage in the DNA, with a break down of collagen and other proteins altering the skin texture and structure.

1. The buzz word in the Cosmetics industry and skin care market today is anti pollution. The sunscreens and serums today actively promote anti pollution agents in their formulas. These agents are nothing but anti oxidants that have been added to fight the free radical damage.

Some examples of antioxidants are Vit , Vit E, green tea extract, resveratrol, niacinamide, flavonoids etc

1. Apart from selecting skin care products that are labelled as ‘anti – pollution’ or have anti oxidants as ingredients, modify your diet to include more antioxidants. Colourful vegetables, berries and fruit, green tea are all good sources of anti oxidants.
2. A good cleanse gets rid of makeup, dirt, sweat, grime and toxic pollutants substances that have settled on the skin throughout the day.
3. Its also important to moisturize and hydrate skin after using a cleanser. This provides a barrier for the toxic substances from penetrating into the skin.
4. Sunscreen is another layer of protection to the pollutants. Look for an antioxidant rich sunscreen of SPF 30 or more.
5. Whilst travelling, roll up the windows and use sunglasses.
6. Carry alkaline or detox water from home in glass bottles.
7. Every once a week exfoliate to get rid of excess build up of dead cells on the skin and to increase cell turnover.