Environmental Aging: Protecting Your Skin from Pollution, UV Radiation, and Blue Light
What is environmental aging?
Aging is inevitable. As we get older, our bodies’ natural aging processes kick in, causing the skin to sag and fine lines and wrinkles to set in. It’s a fact of life. But, did you know that time only accounts for 20% of skin changes? The remaining 80% is caused by external influences that accelerate the aging process. Let's explore how environmental factors contribute to skin aging and how you can protect your skin from external damage.
How does the environment affect skin health?
While our skin serves as a natural barrier, prolonged or repeated exposure to high levels of environmental pollutants can have significant negative effects. Factors like climate, pollution, sun exposure, and lifestyle choices all influence our skin's health.
Although it's impossible to shield your skin from every environmental impact, being aware of these potential threats can empower you to take proactive steps against damage. One of the most prevalent ways the environment affects our skin is by accelerating the visible signs of aging.
What environmental factors can cause environmental aging?
Air pollution
Urban living exposes us to particulate matter (PM), a mix of harmful pollutants that can really affect our skin. Being exposed to these pollutants regularly or for long periods can have serious negative effects on our skin health. Free radicals—unstable molecules—start to break down the skin’s natural protective barrier. When this barrier weakens, our skin loses its firmness and bounce, leading to sagging, looseness, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Studies have shown that long-term exposure to PM is linked to premature aging, including more dark spots and deeper smile lines (nasolabial folds).
UV radiation
Sun exposure plays a significant role in aging our complexions. UVA and UVB rays from the sun cause different types of damage. UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin’s layers, contributing to skin aging, wrinkling, and skin cancer. UVB rays primarily affect the skin's top layer, leading to sunburns and increasing the risk of skin cancer. Broad-spectrum sunscreens provide essential UV skin protection, guarding against both UVA and UVB rays for comprehensive defense against sun damage.
UVA rays are present throughout the day and can penetrate glass and clouds, leading to year-round exposure. UVB rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and are responsible for sunburns. To protect your skin, apply broad-spectrum sunscreen daily, regardless of the weather or season.
Blue light & High-energy visible (HEV) light
An emerging trend in anti-pollution skincare is products that protect the skin against “digital aging” from blue light. Blue light, a type of high-energy visible light, is emitted by the sun and screens. Blue light penetrates much deeper into the skin than UV rays, increasing hyperpigmentation, causing sallow-looking skin, promoting fine lines and wrinkles, and inducing oxidative stress.
While blue light from screens is less harmful than blue light from the sun, it’s still important to protect your skin if you spend a lot of time in front of a screen. Ingredients like antioxidants, found in the best antioxidant formulas, can help mitigate the effects of blue light on the skin.
Lifestyle Factors
In addition to environmental factors, numerous lifestyle factors impact your skin's aging process. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and a poor diet can all accelerate skin aging. Lack of sleep also contributes to stressed skin and skin aging, as our cells regenerate during sleep. Inadequate sleep leaves skin looking dull and less healthy. Stress releases cortisol, a hormone that causes inflammation, skin discoloration, and blocks collagen production, leading to accelerated aging.
Free radicals
Free radicals are one of those scientific terms that’s often flung around in the beauty industry. Simply put, free radicals are unstable molecules or atoms. They only have one electron and are looking for another to make a pair. When free radicals partner with an electron from a healthy molecule, that too becomes a free radical, and the cycle continues.
Free radicals don’t just appear out of nowhere; they’re triggered by a variety of things. The external factors we mentioned earlier—like cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemicals, and UV rays—can all lead to the production of free radicals. Inside the body, free radicals can also come from our regular metabolic processes. Having some free radicals isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but problems arise when they become too abundant and out of control. When free radicals latch onto a healthy molecule, that skin cell starts to oxidize.
A good way to picture oxidation is in the context of an apple. Cut it open, leave it on the side, and it will start to brown. Of course, free radicals aren’t changing the color of our skin, but they can increase the production of age spots and rob our complexions of radiance. By damaging healthy skin cells and their components, free radicals also accelerate the aging process.
How to protect your skin from environmental aging
Cleansing is a must, especially in the evening, to wash away the day’s buildup of harmful pollutants. Pollution is everywhere, no matter the season. During summer, UV rays are extra intense, and in winter, pollutants can get trapped closer to the ground. All this exposure can really stress your skin and cause other health issues, so starting your skincare routine with a good cleanse is essential for keeping your skin protected.
Antioxidant-rich skincare products and Ingredients
iS Clinical Retinol+ Emulsion 0.3 -- $105.00
One of the most important steps in fighting free radical damage is applying and consuming antioxidants. These powerful ingredients, like stabilized Vitamins A, C, and E, can slow the aging process by preventing free radicals from attaching to and damaging healthy skin cells. Antioxidants also help reduce signs of inflammation and support the restoration of the skin barrier, making them a crucial part of any damaged skin treatment.
Topical antioxidants are among the best ways to prevent oxidative stress and mitigate free radical activity. Applying skincare products with stable antioxidants daily is key to maintaining skin health and protection against environmental aging. These antioxidants are some of the best for the skin, offering anti-aging and anti-pollution skincare benefits that keep your skin resilient.
Here are some of our favorite antioxidant-rich ingredients and products for effective skin treatments:
Vitamin A (Retinol): Retinol is a powerful antioxidant essential for any anti-aging skincare routine. It accelerates cell turnover, helping your skin look younger while boosting and protecting collagen. Our favorite is IS Clinical's Retinol+ Emulsion 0.3, which not only delivers the benefits of retinol but also combines other antioxidants for a well-rounded treatment. Using Vitamin A daily is particularly beneficial during the day, when our skin is exposed to direct environmental damage. Environ's AVST and Youth Essentia Step-Up System ensures your skin gets an adequate amount of Vitamin A, helping it become more tolerant to retinoids over time.
Vitamin C, Niacinamide, and Green Tea: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, but not all forms are created equal. That’s why we love IS Clinical’s Advanced+ serums, which use a more stable, second-generation L-ascorbic acid. These serums are also packed with other potent antioxidants like niacinamide and green tea. Niacinamide protects the skin and enhances its ability to produce its own antioxidants, improving skin texture and evening out skin tone. Green tea, rich in catechins, helps fight free radicals and protects against environmental damage, supporting skin elasticity and reducing the signs of aging. For those over 30 seeking a collagen boost and sun damage repair, Super Serum Advance+ and Pro-Heal Serum Advance+ are ideal, while GeneXC Serum provides the highest concentration of Vitamin C for strong antioxidant protection.
Sunscreen with broad-spectrum SPF
iS Clinical Extreme Protect 30 -- $80.00
Of course, we can never forget the importance of applying SPF for UV skin protection during the day. Light Day Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 37 offers advanced daily protection with an award-winning photo stabilizer that reduces sensitivity issues often caused by UV absorbers. This sunscreen is packed with innovative antioxidants to prevent DNA damage from UV exposure while also moisturizing and soothing the skin. Similarly, IS Clinical Cream Extreme Protect SPF 30 provides multi-level UVA/UVB protection with micro-fine zinc oxide and microencapsulated organic sunscreens. Enriched with olive leaf extract and Centella Asiatica, this sunscreen supports blemish-prone skin and helps diminish the signs of premature aging.
The Bottom Line
The free radical theory explains just one part of how we age, but there’s a lot more to it. Aging is really the result of many different factors adding up over time. To age gracefully and keep your skin looking its best, it’s crucial to stay active, maintain a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, use skincare products rich in antioxidants, and never skip on broad-spectrum SPF to shield your skin from environmental damage.
JE’DERM Skin Atelier helps you care for your skin with a custom skincare routine
At JE'DERM skin atelier, we understand that environmental damage affects everyone’s skin differently. That’s why we tailor our skin treatments to address the unique effects of environmental stress on your skin. Whether it's sun exposure, pollution, or other environmental factors, we have a variety of advanced modalities, like chemical peels, LED light therapy, microneedling, ultrasound technology, and oxygen therapy, to help repair and rejuvenate your skin.
These treatments are all excellent ways to combat environmental aging and restore your skin’s health and vitality. Our treatments are always customized to your specific skin condition and concerns, ensuring that you receive the most effective care possible.