WATCH FOR THIS INVADER’S EFFECTS

Just when you got a handle on protecting your skin from UV, another aggressor comes along – and it could be even more damaging.

Pollution refers to anything that is introduced into the environment that is dirty, unclean or has a harmful effect. This could be in the form of chemical substances in the air or water or anything in the atmosphere that you come into contact with – and it’s an enormous issue right now.

The devastating impact of recent bushfires aside, according to Energy and Emissions Reduction, air pollution is on the rise because of population growth, industrial emissions and transport, with emissions up 0.6 per cent on the previous year. That might not seem like much, but it has a huge impact on our bodies and particularly skin.

“The biggest concern with these chemicals is, as they are often invisible to the eye, we don’t realise the damage they are causing until it becomes visible on the skin,” says Ultraceuticals’ Elizabeth Fardon.

“As they pass through our skin, they’re highly irritating and once they penetrate the dermal layers, they aggravate many pathways of inflammation.

“These can trigger melanocytes which stimulate an overproduction of pigment, speeding up the process to unwanted age spots and uneven skin tone.”

Other indicators that your skin isn’t happy are redness, rosacea and even hives (all common ailments that many of us suffer from) and it turns out, they could actually be chronic inflammation.

“Our messenger pathways are further driven to cause blood vessels to expand due to these unwanted chemicals. When your skin is in chronic inflammation mode, this stimulates enzymes in our dermis that work overtime to try and repair the damage and in return this can break down our collagen production, leading to further wrinkling and skin laxity.”