It’s that time of year when you’d usually detox your body; put everything you consume through a Nutribullet. Pretend hot water and lemon doesn’t taste like an emptied washing up bowl and tell anyone who’ll listen about your dry-ish (no one ever actually gets to the end do they?) January? But we’re taking a stand against resolutions that make us feel crappy and focusing, instead, on little things we can do to feel brighter. And since it’s usually all about our bodies at this time of year, we’re bucking the trend and remembering our faces. Pollution in major cities is the highest it’s ever been – London broke its annual limit just FIVE days into 2017 – and pollution particles are now known to be up to 30 times smaller than our pores. This means that if you aren’t lucky enough to be living the rural idyll, your complexion needs all the help it can get to fight back against this elemental villain. Here’s what you can do to swerve the smog.
By Jo Hoare
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1 Mind the gap
We know standing by the ventilating windows on the tube is often the only way to survive the onslaught of commuter body odour, but the bad news is this is literally blowing pollution onto your face. Air-tight carriages with in-built ventilation show a significant drop in the amount of pollution commuters are exposed to, but if your line hasn’t upgraded then shutting the windows will help.
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2 Soothe it
Damage caused by pollution can take many forms, but it’ll hit you the hardest if your skin barrier is already damaged. Reinforcing your own skin is the best protection against pollution, so kickstart your skin's own repair system with a micro-needling facial. This treatment uses a small needle-covered tool (not as ouch as it sounds – you’ll get an anaesthetic gel) to put tiny little punctures in your skin, which wakes it up and means products absorb better.
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3 Don’t wait for bedtime to cleanse
Cleansing is probably your best weapon against pollution. Choose something that won’t strip your skin – this means your face should feel smooth and comfortable after cleansing, not tight and ‘squeaky clean’. Cleanse your face as soon as you get home, not after three hours of Netflix. Count it up and that's heaps more time your skin isn’t sitting with a face-mask of pollution on it.
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4 Peel Appeal
Harsh over-exfoliation isn’t great for city battered skin as it can damage the skin barrier (step away from that grotty looking scrub that’s been sitting on the edge of your bath for six months). A superficial peel will get rid of dead skin cells, doesn’t need any zombie-faced downtime and makes your daily skin routine more effective. Make sure you wear SPF after even a mild treatment.
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5 Watch out for showers
Are you someone who always forgets your brolly? It’s not only your blow dry you’re ruining…Rain in polluted cities is super dirty and highly acidic and can be irritating and damaging. Invest in a chic umbrella for workdays and pull on a cap if you’re exercising outside in a downpour.
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6 OD on O2
When fresh air is few and far between, fake it with an oxygen facial. One of the tell tale signs of pollution damage is a dull complexion and 02 facials are perfect for an instant hit of radiance. If you’ve got a big occasion coming up, book one the day before as sadly the effects are relatively short lived, but for around a week you’ll notice dramatically plumper, fresher looking skin.
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7 Cycle smart
If you ride your bike to work then you’re doing your bit for the environment, but possibly at the expense of your skin. Before you bin the bike try a few things to minimise the impact, use an online route planner to plot low pollution routes, try not to travel in peak times and avoid sitting behind large HGVs or diesel vehicles when in traffic.