UV rays aren’t the only thing in the air that can damage and add years to your face By Elizabeth Liew.
UV rays aren’t the only thing in the air that can damage and add years to your face By Elizabeth Liew.
If you religiously apply sunscreen before heading out, you already know the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays. SP F protection is commonly understood as your skin’s first line of defence. But did you know that in addition to sun protection, your skin needs shielding from air pollution too?
Cities like ours are filled with ambient particulate matter (PM ) including dust, dirt and smoke that our skin faces every day. Constant exposure to these airbourne pollutants and toxins unleashes free radical activity in our skin that wreak havoc on its protective lipids and can accelerate the ageing process. According to Tony Vargas, Elizabeth Arden’s Vice President of Global Research & Development, this weakening of our skin’s natural antioxidant defence system causes “a chain reaction of skin damage, resulting in lines, wrinkles, uneven pigmentation and dark spots, loss of firmness and elasticity and ageing signs”.
Furthermore, our body naturally produces DNA repair enzymes to mend skin. With time, the level of these repair enzymes decreases, making it harder for our cells to fix skin damage caused by the onslaught of environmental aggressors.
Just like with sun damage, the harm created by pollution accumulates slowly over time and usually takes years to reveal itself on the skin. As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”, so we should take every measure now to not just protect, but reinforce our skin’s natural barrier before it’s too late.
Everyday Defence
Protect and strengthen your skin from environmental assaults with these four smart tips:
1. Cleanse regularly. Wash your face thoroughly every day to remove buildup of dirt and grime.
2. Stay hydrated. Drinking water often helps replenish moisture lost to the environment and flushes out toxins in your body to keep your skin healthy.
3. Eat antioxidant-rich foods. Common examples are berries, walnuts, dark green vegetables, green tea, and salmon which are high in vitamins A, C and E.
4. Apply a daily skincare product that protects from both the sun and pollutants. The revolutionary PRE VAGE City Smart Broad Spectrum SP F 50 Hydrating Shield, $99 (40 ml), from Elizabeth Arden contains a DNA Enzyme Complex that provides both UV and pollution protection to strengthen skin and keep your complexion youthful. Its sheer, hydrating formula makes it compatible with all skin tones and types. W
BOOST YOUR SKIN’S DEFENCE SYSTEM
For added protection and repair, feed your skin with Elizabeth Arden’s PREVAGE Anti-Aging Daily Serum, $362 (50 ml), featuring a new and improved anti-ageing formula to defend your skin. Packed with its exclusive and potent cocktail of antioxidants (including Idebenone, Green Tea blend and Thiotaine), the serum not only delivers Idebenone into your skin but creates a reserve of the powerful antioxidant to be used as and when it’s most needed.
