When it comes to living, working and playing in the city, how can we live life to the fullest while ensuring our skin doesn’t pay the price?
Read on to find out why it’s so important to ensure skin is able to defend itself against the daily stresses of urban life, from pollution to fatigue.
Looking after your skin’s future
Living in the city can be exhilarating, especially when we’re young. However, the daily stresses of urban life can have an extremely negative effect on our skin over the long-term. External factors such as pollution, UV rays and even our travel habits - collectively known as the ‘exposome’ - can seriously affect our skin’s future, as well as being responsible for short-term or recurring problems such as clogged pores, redness and uneven skin tone. Studies commissioned by L’Oréal in Cuernavaca, Mexico and Shanghai, China found that poor air quality directly impacts the skin’s ability to age well, with subjects living in extremely polluted environments tending to suffer from increased levels of dehydration, as well as excess sebum production. Long commutes on public transport, lack of sleep after a weekend filled with late-night parties can all contribute to skin feeling - and looking – dull, tired and prone to breakouts.
Finding the time to take care of your skin
So, what can we – or more precisely, our skin – do to fight the negative side effects that come with living in the city? Alongside an active lifestyle, effective skincare acts as a buffer against these external aggressions, helping skin to regenerate and undo the damage caused by the exposome. Containing 15 essential minerals, not all of which are naturally present in the human body, Vichy Mineralizing Water helps combat the negative effects of overexposure to including pollution and UV rays, while restoring trace elements to help reinforce skin. Manganese and fluorine help to reinforce skin’s natural antioxidant defenses, combating free radical damage, while calcium and potassium strengthen skin’s barrier functions, meaning that skin retains moisture for longer. Lithium and strontium, known for their anti-inflammatory properties, make Vichy Mineralizing Water particularly useful for skin that’s prone to redness or an uneven tone when tired or stressed.