5 ways to protect your skin from pollution

Clearly nobody ever thought dirty air was great for skin but now we know exactly why it can add years on to you. Quick science bit: Air pollution is made up of particles that love latching onto your face. Some bind to the fats in your skin, while others are tiny enough to slip in through your pores.

Icky, admittedly. But how bad can a bit of mucky air be?

Very. First of all, pollution attacks the skin barrier so your first line of defence is breached. Moisture drains away and skin gets dry and rough. A weakened barrier also leaves you wide open to skin allergies, so you can suddenly react to products you’ve used for years.

And is pollution actually going to make me look old?

Afraid so. Pollutant particles trigger free radicals, which cause the same sort of ageing caused by too much sun. It’s not just a case of early-onset wrinkles either.

"There’s a link between air pollution and pigmentation spots on the forehead and cheeks, which previously were thought to be caused solely by the sun," says pollution expert Dr Jean Krutman.

I don’t live in a city, so I’m ok… right?

Obviously the more polluted the air you breathe, the greater the ill effects. However, research shows 90% of Europeans living in built-up areas are breathing polluted air.

Pollution doesn’t just come from gridlocked traffic or factory fumes either – for instance, cigarette smoke (including the secondhand variety) is packed with pollutant particles. Plus research is now looking at indoor sources of air pollution, from stoves and fireplaces to foam insulation and even computer printers.

Sun and smog: double trouble

So SPF itself won’t protect you from pollution, but skipping it will make UV damage worse. Why? Well, UV and air toxins work as a kind of skin super-villain tag team, which means sun exposure plus a polluted environment causes more damage than the two things individually. In short: wear SPF all year round.

The anti-pollution diet

Support your beauty regime by upping your intake of pollution-fighting nutrients:

Seaweed supergreens like kelp, chlorella and spirulina. These bind to heavy metals in the body and help remove them.

Antioxidants from any fruit and veg, but especially greens, berries, peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots and chillis. Nuts and seeds are great too.

Live yoghurt and fermented products like kefir grains (try kefir drinks like Boo-tiful). Good bacteria equals better nutrient absorption and more efficient toxin removal.

Boost your air defences with these beauty wonders

So that’s the bad news about every breath you take. The good news is you can fight back by tweaking your beauty regime…

Cleanse

Step one has to be shifting pollutant particles that sit on your skin’s surface or lodge in follicles.

Exfoliate

Getting shot of the dead, dulling, polluted cells on your skin surface is another must. Go for a product that’s gentle enough to use at least 2-3 times a week.

Treat

We’ve moved beyond the cliché of a mud pack and cucumber slices – high-tech masks are HUGE for 2016. Treating helps boost the skin barrier while it’s on the face, but in between treatments it blocks receptors that pollutants normally lock onto.

Up the anti

Anti-oxidants are vital for neutralising the free radical carnage unleashed by pollution. Wear a day cream packed with antioxidant vitamins.

Block it

Foundation blocks the amount of pollutant particles that can latch on and penetrate into your skin.