There are a number of different environmental factors that can affect the health and function of your skin, including the sun (UV radiation), ambient conditions (e.g. temperature and humidity), altitude, and pollution.
The sun produces radiation that can damage your skin (solar radiation) which is made up of:
Infrared radiation (780-500onm wavelength; approximately 53% of solar radiation)
Visible light (400-78onm wavelength; approximately 39-44% of solar radiation)
UV radiation (290-400nm wavelength; 3-7% of solar radiation)
Up to 90% of premature skin aging is down to the UV radiation produced by the sun
UV radiation can be broken down into UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC rays are themost damaging but are unable to reach us or our skin as they are completely absorbed by the earth's atmosphere.
UVB rays have a shorter wavelength than UVA rays which means that they have more energy but cannot penetrate as deeply into the skin. They are only able to penetrate your epidermis where they are absorbed by DNA and melanin. This can cause DNA damage, which can lead to skin cancer, and increased production of melanin. The damage caused by UVB radiation is
visible almost immediately as sunburn and, for this reason, UVB is often referred to as the burning rays'.
UVA rays have a longer wavelength than UVB rays and can penetrate into yourdermis. However, they have less energy than UVB rays and are not directly absorbed by DNA or melanin. Instead, they damage DNA indirectly by producing free radicals. These free radicals also cause the breakdown ofcollagen and elastin in the dermis which causes premature wrinkles. For this reason, UVA rays are often referred to as the 'aging rays.
While the strength of UVB rays varies throughout the day and across seasons, the strength of UVA rays is relatively constant and causes accumulative damage that isn't always evident until years down the line. UVA ravs are still able to cause sunburn but the dose required is one-thousand times that of UVB rays.
Air pollution contains a mixture of various chemicals and particles that can cause free radical production and damage your skin. Pollution increases the risk of skin cancer, skin sensitivity, premature skin aging, dryness, dullness, roughness, and discoloration. If you live in an area with high pollution, you are more likely to experience some skinconditions, such as acne and eczema, and your skin barrier function is likely to be reduced causing dehydrated and sensitive skin.
Ensuring that you thoroughly cleanse your face each evening can help prevent some of this damage by washing away all the pollutants that have built up on your skin during the day. Antioxidants (both topical and oral) can help reduce the damage done by free radicals, while barrier-repairing moisturizers can help keep your skin barrier strong and your skin hydrated.
Where you live in the world will have some effect on your skin. Just like your skin behaves differently with seasonal weather changes, it will also behave differently depending on your climate. Certain climate conditions can affect the function of your skin barrier and cause various skin conditions to flare up.
Your skin is mainly affected by temperature, humidity, and altitude. When the temperature is hot and humidity is high, the heat causes your skin to sweat in order to cool vou down but the humidity prevents that sweat from evaporating from your skin. Instead, it sits on the surface of your skin, mixing with sebum and trapping all sorts of environmental pollutants from your surrounding environment which can lead to clogged pores, inflammation, and acne breakouts.
If the temperature is hot but humidity is low, sweat is able to evaporate but your skin cannot draw in any water from yoursurrounding environment and instead relies solely on the water in your dermis. This can lead to dry and dehydrated skin.
Cold weather causes reduced blood flow to your skin which means that the blood vessels in your skin have to expand to compensate. This leads to facial redness and, if your blood vessels expand too much, broken capillaries. If humidity is low then you may also experience increased water loss which can make redness appear worse. However, if humidity is high then your pores can become clogged.
Your skin functions at its best when both temperature and humidity are mild. Mild humidity allows your skin's NMFs to draw in enough water to keep your skin well hydrated while sweat is still able to evaporate. While you should be wearing sunscreen every day anyway, it is particularly important when you're at higher altitudes. This is because the intensity of UV radiation increases by 20% for every 1000ft in elevation.
Now knowing that information, this is where adjusting your skincare routine accordingly can help tremendously with your skin health. Thus, leaving her skin clear and radiant! 🌟 As always, please reach out to us if you ever have any questions or like for us to help create your personal skincare routine. 😊