Skin Hazards of Living in a city with extreme heat

Fear of Deteriorating Skin & You Don't Even Know it

You have just arrived in a city with extreme heat. The extreme heat overheats and irritates your body's skin. You start to notice more of your pores expanding and premature wrinkles and lines.  It's a drastic change from your previous environment to intense heat, humidity and pollution. The odd itch, the red sunburn and the rapid change of environment can cause deleterious effects on the skin.

Are there things that we can do to prevent the harmful changes that occur from being in this new climate? Certainly, yes.

To understand why these changes occur to the skin, one must acknowledge that there are 16 different types to divide the skin and each of us falls into two or three of these categories.

The skin typing system divides skin into 16 different categories based on four main criteria: Dry (D) vs. Oily (O), Sensitive (S) vs. Resistant (R), Pigmented (P) vs. Non-Pigmented (N), and Wrinkled (W) vs. Tight (T). A ‘DSPW,' for example, is dry, sensitive, pigmented and wrinkled, while an ‘ORNT' is oily, resistant, non-pigmented and tight.

According to my experience, generally when we are young the skin tends to be more ORNT but with aging tends to become more DSPW. If you have oily skin, it will get more oily living in in a city with extreme heat.  If you have dry skin, sun damage causing more dryness is a potential problem. Irrespective of environment you can have a sensitive or a resistant skin and absolute everyone can have problems with pigmentation.

Wrinkles are visible specifically to older people and to those who are spending a lot of time in the sun with no protection. Also wrinkles are more visible to western people like Europe and North America than for those from South-East Asia.

Every day our skin operates like a shield, protecting everything underneath it from the harsh impact of the environment. Like any other shield, our skin absorbs the collateral damage of accumulated UV rays that can causes the signs of aging.

The research is clear that sun damage is the largest environmental factor that can cause skin to age. The sun can dry out our skin, causes cancer or melanoma and also cause discoloration of your skin. This can take the form of dark sun spots or the form of lighter pigmentation inconsistencies'. So therefore, I recommend that a sun screen of SPF (sun protection factor) 25 or higher be used for the best protection.

Every day we are all exposed to increase amounts of pollution in water and air. The chemicals, toxins and pollutants all take a toll on our skin, causing it to lose radiance and luster. Because it's nearly impossible to avoid pollution, doing a regular weekly pore cleansing or detoxification facial can help to limit and remove these pollutants from your system. One good home care product is a facial cleansing scrub that can help remove potential white and blackheads. Also, using an anti-aging skin care line that is mineral-rich and loaded with antioxidants help combat the free radicals in your system created by exposure to sun and pollution.

Acne, pimples, bumps or blemishes on the skin are very common in in a city with extreme heat and can be treated with a variety of combination treatments from lasers to topical creams. The correct diagnosis of the type of acne combined with the right skincare products and good skincare practices can help.

The correct skincare regimen again depends on the newly adapted skin type. While DSPWs might need a moisturizer, anti-inflammatory serum, eye cream and skin lightening product, ORNTs need little more than sunscreen, a retinoid, and maybe an oil control gel. For those with a newly acquired irritated sensitive skin, using a lotion with Vitamin E will help to alleviate itching and help maintain the overall health of your skin.

Extreme heat and humidity can also facilitate bacterial and fungal infections. In general when temperature is really high we stay inside and use the air conditioning. Air conditioners and fans have a dehydrating effect on the skin, because they speed up the evaporation process from the surface of the body. Unless one drinks plenty of water to make up for the dehydration, inelasticity of the skin will be the result.

Living in a city with extreme heat, humidity and pollution, you must prevent your skin from reacting to environmental factors. Getting the correct advice on how can protected your skin against these factors can be a skin saver.