HUMIDITY AND POLLUTION: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN?

Although much delayed this year, the rainy season has well and truly begun in Madagascar. In addition to the damage it causes to infrastructure, it can also wreak havoc on even the most sensitive skin. With the pollution caused by the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere in large cities, humidity can become a real enemy for the skin.

And just because it’s gray, heavy and damp outside doesn’t mean you have to skip out on skincare.

How to protect your skin from humidity and pollution?

What are the effects of humidity and pollution on the epidermis?

The rainy season is characterized above all by high temperatures and rain, a mixture that is not good for some skins!

For oily skin in particular, the combination of humidity and heat opens the pores and makes the skin more sensitive to dirt and impurities. In big cities, skin is more exposed to the various pollutants in the atmosphere.

Even normal skin is not immune, as heat leads to significant moisture loss through sweating. This causes an imbalance in the epidermis, which can result in excessive sebum secretion, for example.

The most sensitive and exposed skins can even present:

• Acne;
• Skin rashes ;
• Eczema;

How to care for your skin in these conditions?

There are a few good habits you can adopt to protect your skin from pollution and humidity during the rainy season:

Make-up removal is key

It’s very important to always remove make-up from the face, especially for those who wear make-up regularly, and even more so for those who work outdoors. Whether make-up is waterproof or not, it will tend to clog pores and capture impurities as the skin is exposed to heat and humidity.

For gentle make-up removal, a light yet nourishing oil such as sweet almond oil is particularly suitable. This oil also has repairing and softening properties, thanks to its high vitamin A and E content.

Do not to wash your face too often

Cleansing undeniably helps to purify skin regularly exposed to pollution. In any case, it’s important not to overdo it, and therefore not to wash more than 3 times a day. Contrary to what many people might think, washing too often also leads to an imbalance in the epidermis, resulting in excessive sebum production.

Dermatologists estimate that for normal skin, 2 washes a day are more than enough to cleanse the skin.

Wear light make-up

Make-up and humidity don’t mix, even if some products are specially designed to resist humidity. For beautiful skin, therefore, it’s advisable to opt for light make-up that doesn’t require cream foundation or heavy base.

When make-up is really necessary, it is preferable to use BB cream or foundation with a matte finish rather than powder textures.

Weekly face masks

Pollution and humidity can leave lasting marks on the face. To avoid them, your skin needs regular detoxification to unclog pores, relieve fatigue and restore a fresh complexion.

If you live in a particularly polluted area, it’s imperative to incorporate a purifying or detoxifying mask into your weekly beauty routine. Asian paper masks are particularly popular these days, but for more targeted care, you can also opt for cream-based products that can be mixed with other active ingredients to boost their action on the skin.

The activated charcoal mask is one of the most highly recommended for purifying the complexion. It can be applied to the whole face or just the T-zone, depending on which areas are most affected by external aggressors. In particular, you can apply it only to the T-zone and use another, gentler mask on the other areas if you feel that the activated charcoal mask is aggressing the finest parts of the facial skin.