We protect our eyes via sunglasses, ears via noise-canceling earplugs, and mouth with a mask. However, little effort is put into protecting our skin. Wearing clothes covers most of the body – which vary quite significantly across culture, geographical location, and time of the year. Nevertheless, there is always some part of our body exposed to the outer world.
With the recent wildfire outbreak in California, it is not uncommon that most people experienced shortness of breath and had a more difficult time breathing. Such change in respiration was most likely attributed to the air, thickened with pollutants, and entering our body through our mouth. We often don't even think about the "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in vehicle exhaust emissions or wildfire smoke, [which are] are 'fat-loving' (lipophilic) and can easily pass through the fat-filled spaces between skin cells."
Tanning, or skin exposure to the UV light from the sun, have received great attention for its negative physiological consequences, including DNA damage and skin cancer. Recent research has looked at the relationship between skin health and something we cannot avoid in Western civilization – Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP). A study in 2010 "assessed the influence of air pollution on skin aging in 400 Caucasian women aged 70-80 years." The researchers used SCINEXA, which stands for "score of intrinsic and extrinsic skin aging" to clinically assess aging of the skin. The results revealed that "air pollution exposure was significantly correlated to extrinsic skin aging signs, in particular to pigment spots" on the face – on cheeks and foreheads.
In a different study published just this year, in 2018, looked at women who were involved in the Study on the influence of Air pollution on Lung function, Inflammation, and Ageing (SALIA). SALIA primarily looked at women around the age of 55 from Germany. The researchers found "high incidence for eczema in elderly women, which is associated with chronic exposure to TRAP." In other words, exposure to pollution from traffic appears to increase rates of eczema, which is an itchy inflammation of the skin that appears as scaly red rashes.
The unfortunate reality is that it is impossible to avoid such toxins. The takeaway from such studies is to perhaps be more mindful of the potential airborne particles and attempt to avoid it the best we can – similar to the way we protect other parts of our body.
