Air pollution everywhere, nor any clean air to breathe!
If you’re a resident of North India (or even any other part of the country, because 83 of the 100 most polluted cities in the world are in our country, after all!), welcome to your not-so-favourite time of the year. The air is toxic, literally, and air purifiers are dying a slow death. Wherever you look, there’s nothing but haze and you’re trying to stay calm while juggling both headaches and coughs.
As if things weren’t worse enough already, you must also know that the air pollution isn’t bad just for your lungs but your skin as well.
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Rise in air pollution levels also leads to an increase in free radicals in the air that harm your skin in more ways than one. Think lines and wrinkles, breakouts and dullness along with destruction of your skin barrier due to over-oxidisation. If it sounds quite bad, it definitely is. Which is why, it’s imperative to arm yourself with enough ammunition to counter the harmful effects of air pollution on your skin.
Since the air pollution situation isn’t going away anytime soon, unfortunately, you might as well learn to live with it as best as you can. What can’t be cured must be endured, remember?
Here are 3 things you could do:
Use antioxidants to counter the effects of pollutants
Look for products that are rich in vitamins C, A & E for these will help undo some of the damage caused by air pollution. Dullness in the skin that’s a result of free radicals wreaking havoc can be countered with the help of the antioxidants released by these vitamins.
Esquire recommends:
Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum
₹2,650 (30 ml)
Ras Luxury Skincare Super Charge Multivitamin Day Cream
₹1,992 (50 g)
Strengthen your skin barrier
A strong skin barrier (the protective layer meant to, well, protect your skin) is your best bet against every possible harmful effect of air pollution. Since the pollutants directly attack and harm this barrier, you need to use products that work towards rebuilding and nourishing the same.
Esquire recommends:
CeraVe Moisturising Cream
₹1,800 (454 g)
Farmacy Beauty Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer
₹4,750 (50 ml)
Make sure to exfoliate your skin
Washing your face with a cleanser alone might not be enough for this time of the year; exfoliating your skin to flush out toxins from your pores is what you need to do. If you’ve never tried a face exfoliator, start with using it just once a week. Once your skin gets used to it - which it will in 3-4 weeks - increase its use.
Esquire recommends:
L’occitane Cade Daily Exfoliating Face Cleanser
₹2,250 (150 ml)
Forest Essentials Nourishing Facial Scrub
₹2,200 (50 g)
