Recent skin care trends have seen anti-pollution products becoming a hot topic and increasingly necessary. With cities more frequently surrounded by smog and haze and pollution index in Asian regions going up, it is no wonder why.
We know how pollution is bad for our bodies especially when it comes to our respiratory health. But hey, our skin is not spared too.
To be exposed to smog and haze on a daily basis equates to becoming a sure target for free radical attack. Dust and fine pollutant particles get lodged in your pores, triggering inflammation and clogs.
Such environmental aggressors also create free radical activity, which increases oxidative stress in our skin, killing off healthy skin cells.
The result? Skin inflammation, weakening of our skin barrier, breakouts, pigmentation, loss of skin firmness and acceleration of ageing.
When it comes to anti-pollution skin care, there are 2 main principles to apply:
1. Thorough Cleansing
2. Antioxidant Skin Care
Let’s get down to each.
1. Cleansing
When we say thorough, we mean deep diligent cleansing. Cleansing plays an important role in any skin care routine, and especially so if you are out in a polluted environment all day. An effective gentle cleanser is your must-have.
At the end of each day, be sure to get rid of all the dirt and impurities that you might have accumulated on the streets. Not seeing it with your physical eyes doesn’t mean that it’s not there.
There’s no chance for laziness when it comes to winning a fight against an invisible opponent so be sure to do facial cleansing and makeup removal every night.
Tip: If you are living in a polluted area, try double cleansing with DR’s Secret Cleanser 1. Cleanser 1 is a gel cleanser that deeply cleanses while providing hydrating benefits to your skin.
Create lots of foam (the foam acts as a suction net to remove impurities in your pores) and massage gently over your skin before rinsing and repeat.
2. Antioxidant Skin Care
Serums and essences filled with antioxidant ingredients are your best weapons against free radical attack.
Antioxidants help to neutralise the active free radical molecules in our body that ravage the rest of our healthy body cells. This puts a stop to the chain reaction of free radical activity, thus reducing oxidative stress.
Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Niacinamide are some examples of popular hero antioxidant ingredients in skin care, often used to combat ageing and pigmentation.
Adding a serum or two that contains antioxidant ingredients give your skin an additional boost of protection on top of your usual hydrating serums and moisturiser.
Tip: Use DR’s Secret Skinlight T3, Skinrecon T4, C15 Essence 7 or Age Arrest A3 for antioxidant protection and to encourage skin renewal and production of healthy cells.
As with all skin care routines, remember to top off with a generous application of sunscreen before heading out!
Lastly, on top of applying antioxidants topically, having an antioxidant-rich diet, sleeping sufficiently and cutting down on smoking and alcohol are also helpful ways to reduce the harmful effects of pollution on your life.
We may not be able to change the environment we live in in a drastic way, but we sure can take charge and do our best for our skin!