DEFENCE FORCE

We can’t always control our environments, but we can control the products we use. Hanisha Sethi reveals how to protect your skin from the city…

- Hanisha Sethi

Pollution is not only threatening the planet, it’s ageing our skin too. In fact, the World Health Organisation has described air pollution as “one of the most pernicious threats to global public health”. These pollutants, such as exhaust fumes and heavy metals, all degrade our skin’s natural defences with some particles getting lodged in our pores.

The particles don’t just sit on our skin’s surface, but seep into layers, speeding up the deterioration of cells. They also cause damage to the essential elements in your skin such as collagen, elastin and lipids. It’s why it’s one of the worst causes of premature aging, and no bride wants to hear that before her Big Day! Common concerns are redness, irritation, dry skin, and a lack of radiance. But it’s not only outside pollutants that are harmful. Long-term blue light exposure from screens or electronic devices can also cause skin damage such as inflammation and weakening of the skin’s surface. So you may think, there’s no escape.