Your skin is amazing. It protects your body from outside dangers at a microscopic level—germs, bacteria, viruses—and even at an invisible level—UV radiation, temperature changes, and low humidity can have an environmental impact on your skin. It’s a wonderful warrior of an organ, and it does it all while looking fabulous. But with so much daily work on your skin’s plate, the question is, who will protect the protector?

How germs have an environmental impact on your skin

Germs are everywhere. You can’t avoid them completely, but there are things you can do to minimize their environmental impact on your skin. The first step is knowing how germs work and how they can affect the health of your skin.

  • Germs cause skin conditions such as acne and eczema
  • Germs cause skin infections like impetigo
  • Germs cause small wounds to heal more slowly than usual

Once germs are on your hands, they’re likely to reach your face. Whether you have been handling tools or playing with your pet, it’s important to wash your hands throughout the day. Using a face cleanser like RENUAdvanced® Foaming Cleanser will help exfoliate germs away without irritation and soothe dry and itchy skin without leaving it feeling oily. 

Pollution

Most people don’t realize that pollution can have a major environmental impact on your skin. Pollution is defined as the release of contaminants into the air, water, or soil at levels that may cause adverse health effects. It can include dust and soot emissions from smokestacks or fires; waste disposal and garbage incineration; vehicle emissions; chemical sprays and aerosols; pesticides used in farming; harmful bacteria in sewage systems; contaminated drinking water supplies; and radiation.

Dust in the air can clog pores, increase bacteria on your face, and interrupt your skin’s natural protection—which breaks down natural oils and maintains moisture. Make sure to cleanse your skin every morning and every night to wash away any grime, dirt, and pollutants. Using a toner like the RENUAdvanced® Balancing Toner can provide probiotics to balance the skin’s bacteria, lessen skin redness and flaking, reduce the appearance of enlarged pores, and support the skin barrier function.

Sun exposure

Sun exposure is the most common cause of skin cancer and has been associated with other conditions such as premature aging. Exposure to UV rays from the sun can be damaging to your skin in a number of ways. It causes wrinkles, ages your skin prematurely, and makes you more susceptible to dryness, peeling, and flaking due to reduced moisture content in your cells’ outer layers (the stratum corneum).

Extreme heat can also cause your skin to produce more sweat and oils, which becomes trapped in your pores and can cause skin issues. When you expose your skin to the sun without proper UV protection, you risk prematurely aging your skin or even causing hyperpigmentation. Make sure to always protect your skin with sunscreen when you are outside and exposed. 

Using a sunscreen along with a serum that supports a skin-protective barrier like RENUAdvanced® Glow Serum can help prevent damage from daily environmental assault, even out your visible skin tones, re-energize and calm the skin, and offer immediate hydration that lasts all day.

Dry air

When harsh heat hits your skin, you may experience skin sensitivity and dryness. Dry air can lead to dry, flaky skin and even cause infections. This is caused by heating systems, air conditioning, and air pollution. Make sure to moisturize every morning and every evening to give your skin an extra layer of protection throughout the day. Even if you have oily skin, you still need to moisturize to keep your skin from producing excess oils.

A hydrating cream like one from the RENUAdvanced® Skin Care System helps improve natural skin microbiome to promote surface skin cell turnover, reduces skin sensitivity, enhances the appearance of healthy skin, and reduces the appearance of dark spots, while vitamin C helps protect against oxidative imbalance. 

Overall, it is important to protect your skin with proper care every day. It seems that there are many factors (that we have listed here, anyway) that can affect the environmental impact on your skin. How you manage these factors will play a key role in how healthy your skin is. Most damage to your skin can be prevented. Even if it’s not possible to prevent the environmental factors that can affect your skin, there are many other things you can do to improve your skin health. While the effects of various factors on skin health may seem small, they can potentially cause long-term damage that may eventually lead to larger problems. A little bit of daily prevention can go a long way in helping you maintain healthy, beautiful skin.