Many of us probably have enough skincare in our bathroom cabinet to fill a small town in Italy. But outside of our skincare routine, we often need to remind ourselves of the environmental factors that might wreak havoc on our natural bodysuits.
Where you live and your surroundings have a huge impact on your skin, so if you want to maintain that youthful glow, here are some ways the environment affects us and what we can do to help prevent them.
Sun Exposure
As Aussies, we should 100% already know how much the sun can affect us. After all, skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed Down Under, with two-in-three Aussies diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70.
When you’re outside and exposing yourself to the sun without UV protection, you’re risking both skin cancer and premature ageing. Sun exposure can also cause hyperpigmentation, skin takes on an uneven tone and becomes patchy in colour. No thank you.
Even if you live in a colder climate, the sun can defo still affect you. This is why it’s vital that you wear sunscreen every single day. Yes, even if you’re not going outside – you’re still likely getting exposed to the sun through windows, whether in the car, at home or at work.
To make it easier, choose a daily face moisturiser with sunscreen included. Remember to reapply regularly (and follow the bottle’s instructions, ya duffers), especially if you’ve been frolicking near water.
Cooler weather and wind
Weather and windy conditions can also be detrimental to your skin. In the winter months, you’ll find your skin is more likely to become dry and itchy. This becomes worse when you’ve got the heater on. Similarly, when you pump the AC in summer, your skin will likely be crying out for help.
Make sure you’re using a gentle cleanser if your skin feels tight when you wash your face because it’s likely drying you out further. A moisturiser is a must and you might also find that you need to use a different cream for winter and summer. Choose something a little richer for winter and lighter but still hydrating in summer.
Smoking
Exposure to tobacco smoke can accelerate the ageing process, with studies showing that smoking is one of the strongest predictors of wrinkling in both men and women.
Chemicals in tobacco smoke can harm your skin by damaging collagen and elastin, which causes it to sag and wrinkle prematurely, which is something you’d definitely want to avoid.
Quitting smoking will not only help prevent further damage, you might even see an improvement in your hip pocket as well (hint hint).
Pollution
Air pollution can affect your rate of ageing, and sadly there is air pollution in cities, suburbs and country towns, so you can’t really escape this. However, different areas of Australia have higher pollution rates, so you could theoretically move somewhere else to lessen your exposure if you really wanted to.
The problem with air pollution is that it contains these nasty particles known as ‘free radicals’ which can damage your skin contributing to forming brown spots, fine lines and wrinkles. Not cool.
Thankfully, healthy skin is more efficient at filtering out those harmful contaminants. Dermatologists suggest treatments like exfoliants, sunscreens and a diet that is rich in antioxidants to help fight these side effects. Also, Cetaphil Face Gentle foaming Cleanser is clinically proven to effectively cleanse the skin from environmental pollutants. That’s cool.
Stress
Studies have shown that stress is one of the leading causes of bad skin, with acute and chronic stress proven to harm overall skin wellness. It can also make several conditions like acne worse.
According to Harvard research, stress can also disrupt the top layer of the skin that locks in moisture and protects us from harmful microbes, making it difficult to repair.
They key message here, which is just a solid life tip in general, is to stress less. Much easier said than done, especially given everything around us lately, but if you find something that eases your stress, go for it. Meditation, long walks, not walking at all because walking stresses you out – it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.
If you’re keen to know more, Cetaphil is launching Skin Awareness Month this October to educate Aussies on the importance of looking after their skin.
