You may have heard that a good skincare routine starts from the inside out. And while this is true, many environmental factors you are exposed to that are out of your control may cause skin damage.
Factors such as air pollution, climate change, and job stress may cause damage to your skin’s barrier. This can lead to dry, itchy, and cracked skin that’s prone to wrinkles and premature aging.
Although you might not be able to do much about these environmental factors, there are things you can do to protect your skin from damage. In this guide, our experts weigh in on the best skincare routine to fight skin damage.
Why Is A Skin Care Routine Important?
As the topmost layer of the epidermis, the skin barrier is your body’s first line of defense against external pathogens like germs and bacteria. It plays a huge role as a strong protector of other layers of the skin, such as the dermis and hypodermis. However, it is also vulnerable.
Since it’s utterly exposed to the environment, the skin barrier is susceptible to irritations. When it’s damaged, your body’s shield weakens and outside factors can harm the health of your skin as a whole.
Developing a skincare routine that includes both oral and topical remedies help strengthen your skin’s barrier to minimize this damage.
6 Factors That Damage Your Skin
Before developing a skincare routine that works for you, it helps to know what factors cause the most damage to the skin.
Following a study on identical twins, experts found that up to 60% of skin aging is influenced by genetics. In contrast, the remaining 40% is determined by outside factors like smoking and sun exposure. Both genetics and the environment can affect the appearance of your skin.
Here are six factors that may damage your skin:
An inflammatory diet
Some foods may cause various skin problems. For example, research shows that dairies may and high glycemic foods such as white bread and white rice may worsen acne.
Sugar and fried foods are also responsible for breaking down the collagen fibers in the skin, which can accelerate aging.
Stress
The brain and skin are more connected than you think. When we’re under pressure, stress hormones released by the brain and adrenal glands can negatively impact the skin.
These hormones can trigger skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne, eczema, patchy hair loss, itching, and rashes. It can also slow the wound-healing process and speed up skin aging.
Irritants in skincare products
Eczema is often treated with over-the-counter topical creams. Ironically, you can be allergic to those products and suffer from more severe conditions. Therefore, it’s a good idea to only use skincare products that are free from parabens and other common allergens.
The allergy can manifest as rashes, hives, itches, peeling skin, and swelling. In more serious cases, these allergens can cause breathing problems.
A 2020 study discovered how skincare products and allergies are connected. It noted that the skin barrier contains the CD1a protein that can bind itself with certain compounds from the products.
When it interacts with immune system cells called the T cells, it can set off an immune response and, therefore, an allergic reaction.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are five common allergens in skin care products:
- Natural rubber or latex
- Fragrances
- Preservatives
- Dyes or color additives (for example, in hair dyes or black henna tattoos)
- Metals such as nickel and gold
Products made from natural ingredients aren’t always safe. For example, Peru balsam (tree oil) is composed of benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate and rose essential oil consists of farnesol. Each of these chemicals can stimulate T cells.
Changes in weather
Research on women has shown that the more extreme the climate fluctuates, the greater the damage to the skin barrier.
In some areas where the difference between summer and winter is intense, the women in the study have decreased skin hydration. In winter, they also have higher skin pH (water-to-oil balance) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Together, these aspects cause dry skin.
Meanwhile, because the climate difference in other parts of the world is minimal, the amount of sebum secretion in these women is almost the same.
However, the skin naturally produces more sebum in summer, causing oily skin. The result of the study proves that drastic climate changes can induce skin barrier damage.
Therefore, if you live in an area where the weather changes a lot, you may need to take extra steps to protect your skin.
Air pollution
Pollutants enter our skin either through direct contact or absorption by hair follicles and sweat ducts.
Cigarette smoke and dirt from city traffic have been known to cause signs of premature aging like pigment spots and wrinkles to appear.
Other skin conditions associated with air pollution are acne and eczema. One study found that the prevalence of eczema symptoms is parallel with the increasing levels of outdoor pollutants.
More recently, a pollutant called cadmium which is usually found in batteries or television sets has been detected in psoriasis patients’ blood. This indicates that cadmium worsens the symptoms of psoriasis.
Sun damage
There’s probably a no bigger threat to our skin barrier than the sun itself. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) brings terrible consequences, causing premature aging, melasma (hyperpigmentation), and skin cancer.
UVR is divided into three parts based on wavelengths: UVA, UVB, and UVC. While ozone layers and oxygen absorb UVC before they reach Earth, UVA and UVB are able to penetrate the human skin, inducing gene alterations or immunosuppression.
As if this isn’t distressing enough, there’s also global warming to worry about. One study found that with every 1% decrease in the ozone layer, there will be a 2% increase in UVB irradiance. As a result, there is also a 2% chance of a surge in skin cancer patients.
How To Develop A Healthy Skin Care Routine
There are several things we can do to develop a healthy skincare routine and deal with environmental factors that are hurting our skin.
Improve your diet
The Mediterranean diet includes foods rich in antioxidants that can counter the impacts of pollutants. Additionally, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that seafood, coffee, tea, and cold drinks are bad for the skin; so are raw, spicy, and fried foods.
TCM usually recommends Bird’s Nest, which has been used for centuries to beautify skin. Also, drink plenty of water daily to help dilute the toxin load in the bloodstream.
Wear sunscreen
Caption: Include green tea in your topical skincare routine to heal damaged skin and reduce the appearance of sunspots.
Besides sunscreen, applying skin care products with topical antioxidants like vitamins A, B3, C and E may help. Beauty supplements containing green tea, coenzyme Q10, and resveratrol may help, too.
Use healing skincare products
Cleanse and moisturize skin with a line of gentle calming relief herbal skincare products that won’t irritate skin and can help reduce inflammation.
Check for allergies
If you have sensitive skin or a history of allergies, you might want to get a patch test. This test will indicate the substances that you’re allergic to. It can help you choose the right skincare routine and products to use.
Find healthy ways to manage stress
Constant contact with high levels of stress will spoil your skin barrier, leaving you at risk of various diseases and conditions. With the addition of well-balanced meals, high-quality skin care products, and an active mind, you can obtain a healthy skin barrier that will in turn protect your body.
Follow these steps to ensure you lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and your skin will thank you for it. If you have tried all means to improve your skincare routine and require further advice, seek the assistance of your medical practitioner or TCM specialist so they can recommend the best course of treatment for you.
This is an adaptation of an article titled ”6 Environmental Factors Affecting Skin” that first appeared on the Eu Yan Sang website.
Sources:
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. 2014. Genetic polymorphisms and skin aging: the identification of population genotypic groups holds potential for personalized treatments
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. 2014. Diet and Dermatology
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. 2014. Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging
- National Institutes of Health. 2020. Understanding allergic reactions to skincare products
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration. 2022. Allergens in Cosmetics
- Scientific Research. 2017. The Effects of Regional Climate and Aging on Seasonal Variations in Chinese Women’s Skin Characteristics
- Science Direct. 2020. Air pollution and skin disorders
- Frontiers. 2014. Air pollution and the skin
