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If you are a regular R29 Beauty reader, you’ve already heard us wax poetic time and again about the relatively new research that shows just how damaging pollution can be for your skin. The effects of the environment on one’s complexion have, in the past decade or so, been mostly focused on free radical damage pertaining to sun exposure, which is why you’ve seen exactly 900 million articles about the importance of SPF.
Unfortunately, sunscreen is only one part of the equation. A new article in Dermatology Times explains that nanoparticles in air pollution can result in the same type of skin aging seen with chronic exposure to UV light ("facial dyspigmentation"). It points to a study sponsored by L’Oréal that compared individuals living in Mexico City with those in a rural part of the country, which found “a decreased vitamin E… [and] squalene content in the individuals who lived in the city environment.”
Zoe Draelos, M.D., consulting professor of dermatology at Duke University School of Medicine, told the magazine that more analysis is required to pinpoint a preventative measure for this kind of skin aging, which is the main reason you're about be barraged with messages about brightening. Previously a concern left to the sun-damaged and acne-scarred, evening skin tone is soon going to be a worry for anyone with frequent exposure to, well, our dirty, polluted air. We've rounded up a few new products that can help with that cause, the majority of which are designed for nightly use and are light enough to layer under moisturizer without clogging pores. Click through for the brand new products for every city-dweller with a newfound fear of spots.
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