Skin Care Tips For City Commuters

Working or living in the city can play havoc with our skin. I sat down with Corinne Morley, in-house skincare expert at high-end brand Trilogy, to find out exactly what city pollution does and how we can help protect our skin against it.

How does being in the city and on public transport affect our skin?

Corinne Morley: Our skin plays an important role as a barrier against pollution in the environment. Air pollutants rob the skin cells of oxygen and encourage free radicals to form. Nitrogen dioxide, smoke, soot and carbon dioxide are very common in cities and the tiny particulates can easily infiltrate the skin barrier, penetrating to the deeper layers and causing damage.

New evidence shows that exposure to pollution generates free radicals that can damage and age the skin in the same way as harmful UV rays from the sun do. Often implicated as a cause of dullness and uneven skin tone, air pollutants are sometimes found in even higher levels indoors than outside, so it’s important to protect your skin even if you’re mostly inside. If the skin becomes over-sensitised, its natural protective barrier is weakened, creating inflammation, which allows more pollutants to penetrate.

How can city commuters protect their skin before going out?

CM: Antioxidants are a vital component of modern skincare to help protect against ageing and tissue damage caused by pollution and environmental free radicals. Antioxidants protect the skin by binding with free radicals, preventing them from attaching to healthy skin cells in a process termed quenching. This helps ensure the integrity of these cells, promoting healthier, more radiant-looking skin.

What products do you recommend for this and why?

CM: Products I’d recommend for protecting, repairing & strengthening the skin are:

• Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+, a rich source of essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which helps brighten and even skin tone, improves elasticity and restores healthy, glowing skin.
  

• Trilogy CoQ10 Booster Oil, a powerhouse of antioxidants and vitamins which helps subdue glycation and prevent free radical damage, recharging and revitalising skin at a cellular level.
  

• Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum, a soothing, anti-inflammatory rescue serum which helps strengthen the weakened barrier of sensitive, reactive skin.
  

• A broad spectrum SPF is also essential, whatever the season, to protect skin from harmful sun exposure. One of the best natural SPFs is zinc oxide, which is what we use in Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream SPF15
  

What cleansing process should city commuters go through at night?

CM: Double cleansing might be necessary, especially if wearing make-up. Thoroughly removing makeup along with daily grime is essential to keep skin clean, fresh and healthy. It also prepares the skin for maximum absorption of much-needed repair products (night creams, oils etc.).

A weekly exfoliation and mask treatment are good additions to your usual routine. Look for a mask containing Kaolin clay, like the Trilogy Mineral Radiance Mask, which is brilliant for dull, tired skin. Kaolin deeply cleanses and purifies, thoroughly removing soot and other microscopic particles that can build up in the pores of the skin.

What products do you recommend for this and why?

CM: You don’t need to do this every day, but now and then it’s nice to give skin a ‘super cleanse’. Women in the Asian region have long known about the impact air pollution can have on their complexions, so their cleansing rituals can be much more intensive than ours. Try this approach when your skin needs some extra love and attention:

1. Massage Trilogy Cream Cleanser or Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm over your whole face and neck and wipe away with a warm face cloth.
   

2. Follow up with a thick layer of Trilogy Active Enzyme Cleansing Cream and leave for a minute or two. The enzymes from pineapple and papaya loosen and dissolve dead skin cells, revealing fresh, glowing, refined skin underneath. Remove thoroughly using a face cloth.
   

3. Saturate the skin with moisture with Trilogy Hydra Tone Softening Lotion, applying with a cotton pad to remove any residual traces of cleanser at the same time.
   

4. Apply an antioxidant-rich repairing plant oil blend – Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ or CoQ10 Booster Oil are great options delivering noticeable results.
   

5. Finish with Trilogy Rosapene™ Night Cream or Trilogy Replenishing Night Cream.
   

Would you recommend regular facials, and why?

CM: Yes! There are some really effective facial treatments for deep cleansing and helping to eliminate waste from the skin. A good facial can really boost the skin’s radiance.

That said, you don’t have to spend a fortune at high-end salons - you can do a great job at home too, if you’ve some good quality products and take an hour or so out for some personal pampering time.

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