Pollution solutions
Katie Wright asks the experts what we should be doing to counteract the effects of this urban enemy
DRINKING plenty of water, eating healthily and always removing your make-up before going to bed - we all know what we should be doing to maximise our chances of clear, blemish-free skin. But even if you follow these rules religiously, did you know that there’s an invisible danger lurking in the air that could be undoing all your hard work? “Pollution is the number one skin problem of our time,” warns Dr Pauline Hili, founder of Nourish London and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. “Pollutants - such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and heavy metals - attach themselves to toxic particles that not only sit on the skin but are small enough to penetrate the dermis, causing an explosion of free radicals, the cause of skin damage.” The result? “Pollution builds up under the skin creating blemishes, spots and asphyxiated skin,” says Skeyndor national product trainer Demane Jones. “Heavy metals stimulate pigmentation, causing uneven skin tone and brown spots. “This can give a lack of luminosity, and dull and tired looking skin, due to low metabolism and lack of oxygen. Irritation and redness can occur, due to pores being blocked. Wrinkles and flaccid skin can also emerge, due to collagen and elastin being broken down by heavy metals.” Sounds pretty hideous, doesn’t it? But that’s only the half of it - there’s even more going on underneath the skin’s surface. “The particulate matter in the air, 20 times smaller than a pore, enters the pore and diffuses heavy metals into the skin. This oxidises the cell membrane breaking them down - and opens the doors to cell attack from free radicals,” Demane explains. “This affects our cells’ metabolism, slowing everything down so cells don’t regenerate as quickly as they should. Vitamin C can also be reduced by heavy metals, reducing collagen.” So, what’s the solution, aside from never leaving the house or wearing a gas mask when you do? The good news is, there are ways to repair the effects of this invisible irritant and prevent further damage. Here, our experts talk us through three key steps everyone should be taking, and the products you need in your anti-pollution arsenal...