Air pollution is a hot topic at the moment. According to WHO (the World Health Organisation), air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. In 2014, 92% of the world’s population were living in places that exceeded WHO’s air quality guidelines. Not only does air pollution cause major health issues like stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory diseases, air pollution has a major impact on skin ageing. As professional skin therapists this is a primary area of concern. Pollution has been cited as one of the single most toxic substances for the skin and skin care companies are now researching and developing products to counteract the effects of pollution on the skin.
Dermalogica is at the forefront of this research and development and will be launching an exciting new product, Daily Superfoliant to specifically target the issue of air polluted skin. Daily Superfoliant will target the biochemical and environmental triggers that accelerate skin ageing.
Air pollution is caused by smog, dust, dirt, pollen and other air particles like car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke. In summer, sunlight can cause chemical reactions between pollutants leading to ozone which we know is harmful to health. In winter time, cold days along with light winds mean these pollutants build up and stay around urban areas. Strong winds can also carry pollutants long distances with particles like dust from farming, construction and moving vehicles travelling through the air. Finally, traffic pollution has emerged as one of the most toxic elements for the skin.
How does air pollution affect the skin? Particle pollution or particulate matter consists of a very complex mixture of nano-particles that get into the air. It can be explained like seeing those very small particles through a beam of light. This particulate matter contains dust, pollen, mould and combustion particles so miniscule they attach to the skin adhering to sebum and sweat which causes skin inflammation and ageing.
At Prodermal, we are passionate about skin science and skin health and are excited to provide you with a new Dermalogica product that aims to absorb these environmental toxins and guards against the damaging effects of pollution.
We can’t wait to share more information on Daily Superfoliant after the Australian launch on January 30th.
Stay tuned…
Yours in skin,
The Prodermal Team x
References:
WHO - World Health Organisation
EPA – Environment Protection Agency (Australia)
The International Dermal Institute
Dermalogica library archives
