5 ways to pollution-proof your skin

If you are seeing the effects of urban living in the mirror, here’s 5 ways to pollution-proof your skin.

While living in the big city can be exciting, and always keeps you busy, it can have its downsides too. You have to get used to going to sleep listening to constant street noise, everything is double the price compared to smaller towns, and your skin suffers. A recent study has shown that 80 per cent of people living in urban cities are exposed to harmful levels of pollution and impurities. This exposure can lead to a plethora of skin problems, including acne, wrinkles and dryness. So, if you are living the city dream, but your skin is being a nightmare, here are 5 ways to combat pollution…

Protect your skin

This tip will sound ridiculous, as we live in a damp climate, but we should use SPF products as often as we can to act as a protective layer from the fumes and toxicity of the city air. Pollution attacks the barrier of your skin and infiltrates into your pores without you even realizing – so you need to start protecting it now. When you wake up in the morning, make sure you remember to add some protection to your skin in the form of day creams and moisturisers, so you can ward off any toxins in the air and keep your skin in tip-top condition.

Keep clean

This should be a rule, whether you live in the countryside or in the city: always take care of your skin. Your skin needs looking after no matter what environment you are in, so always remember to cleanse. Harmful pollution will stay in your cells from the start of the day to the end, so you need to quickly shift the particles that are sitting on your skin’s surface or resting in the follicles. Exfoliating every week is also a must, as you can effectively remove all of your dead skin and toxins in one go.

Change your diet

Of course, upping your intake of super greens and foods that are high in antioxidants is also going to make a massive different to both the appearance of your skin, and the way it can defend itself against air toxins. Eating food such as berries, sweet potatoes and nuts, which are high in antioxidants, will give you a line of defence and will slow up any damage that free radical activity will inflict upon you. Healthy skin starts from the inside out, so keep an eye on what you are ingesting.

Make it up

As a rule, going bare faced when it comes to make-up is the best way to go, as it gives your skin a chance to breathe. But, when you are working in the city, heavy duty make-up such as foundation or BB creams, which cover the majority of your face, act as a great protective layer. While people say that these kinds of make-up aren’t great for your skin because they clog your pores, when it comes to pollution, this is actually a good thing. As long as you thoroughly clean your face at the end of the day, make-up acts as a fantastic protective mask that stays with you all through the day. Best of all, most foundations contain SPF!

Hydrate

Try to drink plenty of water throughout the day while you are out and about to keep your skin looking fresh. Remember that tap water contains a certain amount of pollution, as well as chlorine, which strips your skin of its natural oils, so get a filter to make it as beneficial as possible. Battle any dryness by moisturising your skin with a lightweight serum or oil before you go to bed. This not only benefits your skin, it also helps protect it for the day after. Before long, you’ll look fresh as a daisy!