How do airborne pollutants interact with our bodies?

Airborne pollutants are harmful molecules or toxic particles that exist in the atmosphere around us. Pollutants can be carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead. In 2014, the World Health Organization “attributed seven million premature deaths to air pollution exposure and designated air pollution as the ‘world's largest single environmental health risk.”

Skinology allows us to examine the effects of airborne pollutants on the human skin. The increase of air pollution over the past few decades has opened up a dialogue about how skin reacts to these toxins and why. A few impacts that pollutant particles have on the skin are:

• The generation of free radicals: Free radicals are atoms, molecules or ions which are unstable. They have a negative impact on cells and can cause a lot of damage. The ozone depletes the antioxidants in the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) and generates these free radical atoms. This causes the skin to become dehydrated and instigates rapid ageing.
• Inflammation: Inflammation of the skin is caused by the reduction of cytokines and interleukins. Cytokines are a form of peptide which assist in regulating immunity and inflammation. (Side note: Peptides in the skin are proteins such as collagen and elastin, and the more you maintain these peptides, the firmer, younger, and clearer the skin is.) Air pollution initiates inflammation in the epidermis and weakens the immunity of the skin.

Airborne pollutants induce rapid skin ageing and wrinkles, eczema, acne, breakouts, dehydration, atomic dermatitis and most severely, skin cancer.