Beware of Pollution ! A new study has found that air pollution is responsible for Ageing
Traffic pollution is not just noxious on the lungs, it is also seriously bad for the skin. According to a new research published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, air pollution is prematurely ageing the faces of London dwellers by accelerating wrinkles and age spot.
The research says that the effects of toxic fumes on skin are being seen in both western cities, such as London and New York, as well as in more visibly polluted Asian cities and in some cases may be the primary cause of ageing.
The problem picked up by researchers who focused on a group of German and Chinese women who were exposed to high levels of traffic pollution, is nothing to do with blocked pores. Instead, nanoparticles of pollution, too small to be seen with the naked eye, known as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are able to penetrate through the outer layers of the skin.
The presence of PAHs in the skin alters the skin barrier and disrupts the connections between the surface cells. A healthy lipid ratio of the three key lipids, as well as strong bonds between
our surface cells, are vital to protect us from daily attack from environmental agents. A weakened shield leaves the deeper skin layers vulnerable to attack.Once into the skin’s deeper tissue, PAHs cause oxidative stress triggering many pathways of unwanted chronic inflammation. It is chronic inflammation caused by traffic air pollution that leads to unwanted pigmentation and destruction of collagen with formation of wrinkles.
The inflammation also causes blood flow to be diverted to the area, which can contribute to rosacea and cause the appearance of spider neavi, which are red capillaries near the surface of the skin.
An additional problem with increased inflammation is that it speeds up the process of absorption of collagen to a rate faster than the skin cells can replace it, so increasing skin wrinkles and lines. (It’s not the increased blood flow that causes collagen destruction but an increase in enzymes that nibble up ones collagen). DNA damage in the skin cells which can result from exposure to toxic hydrocarbons and diesel particulates, is a contributory factor to skin cancer.
Dr Frauke Neuser, senior scientist for Olay, a Procter and Gamble brand, has run studies showing significantly lower skin hydration in people living in polluted areas and lab studies showing that diesel fumes and PMs cause inflammation in skin cells. Her team then screened for ingredients that could counteract some of the damaging effects. “We found niacinamide — vitamin B3 — to be particularly effective,” she said.
“We have recently increased its level in several products by as much as 40 per cent.” Frauke’s work has also shown direct correlations between spikes in PM air pollution in Beijing and an increase in hospital visits by people with skin conditions including hives. “This indicates that not only skin ageing but also skin health are affected by air pollution,” she said.
L’Oreal, another cosmetics giant, published a medical study in 2015 showing that eczema and hives were more common in people in Mexico exposed to higher levels of air pollution, a conclusion supported by separate research in Canada. “The next step is to understand more deeply the environment-induced damages, in order to develop skin ageing prevention routines and products,” said Dr Steve Shiel, scientific director at L’Oreal. Clinique, a big make-up brand, has already launched a sonic face cleansing brush it claims better removes pollution.
“This [air pollution] is not going to go away. This is not a problem that is easily fixed,” said Janet Pardo at Clinique. However, researchers are now working on medicine-like compounds that block the damage from air pollution from occurring in the first place. Krutmann’s lab helped Symrise, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of cosmetics ingredients, identify one, though the lab has no commercial stake in the product, which is called SymUrban.
“We found one molecule that can do the job,” he said, and it is now being registered as cosmetic ingredient. “In a few years from now I expect we will see cosmetic products that can specifically protect against skin ageing from air pollution.”
Patterson said it is possible for people to give themselves some protection now. “You don’t have to sit back passively and put up with it. You can take sensible, easy steps that will make a difference.” “If your skin is really healthy, it is quite a good barrier,” he said, explaining that the top layer is like a roof — flattened cells like tiles separated by protective lipids.
“Certain skin care products are very disruptive to the surface of the skin,” he warned. “So a darling of the industry is retinoids, but these have a very profound negative effect on barrier function. Another darling of the industry is glycolic acid, but it is also very disruptive to the external skin barrier. People think these are good skin care, making the skin look smoother, but they are not helpful for the overall health of the skin barrier.”
Patterson is also dismissive of face scrubs: “The skin is trying its damnedest to make this wonderful defence mechanism and what do women and men do? They scrub the hell out of it. It just doesn’t make sense.” He said products that help repair the skin barrier, by delivering the precursor lipids the cells need, are beneficial, as are ones that tackle inflammation.
“You can also put on a very nice physical shield in the form of good quality mineral make-up,” he said. “That produces an effect like a protective mesh and probably has some trapping effect, protecting against the initial penetration of particles. But you also need always to try to remove that shield in the evening, washing the slate clean every night.”
