Skincare after smoke exposure: heal and protect
Has your skin been affected by the smoke from wildfires? Yes. Here’s some tips on how to help it heal – and protect it.
If you spend summers in California or Oregon, you may have noticed something new in the air: smoke. While wildfires are not a new thing, the amount of wildfires and acreage burned is increasing each year. In this blog, we share some tips on skincare after smoke exposure.
Your skin is suffering
Let’s face it, air pollution on the West Coast is mounting, and your body and skin are paying for it. During fire season, you may notice a headache, or wake up with a scratchy throat. But there’s another organ that’s suffering silently, and it’s your skin.
While there are certainly more pressing issues to worry about as these wildfires ravage our country, prolonged exposure is something to protect yourself against, and exposure is only going to increase along with the number of and intensity of the fires.
Your skin is a hardworking organ, and it needs your help!
Skin filters out environmental toxins and keeps you safe from bacteria. It gets stretched and pulled all day long, and it needs support to keep up vital nutrients.
Skin traps and filters out particulate matter, which is a type of pollution that’s small enough to get into your pores and cause free radical damage. This damage causes dull, dry, uneven skin over time, and can contribute to wrinkles. If soot and ash are in the air where you are, your skin can be more prone to clogged pores and breakouts. Furthermore, if you already suffer from a skin condition, such as rosacea, eczema, or psoriasis, you will likely experience more flair-ups when exposed to smoke.
How to protect your skin from smoke exposure:
The good news is there are things you can do to give your skin some smoke relief! Your skincare after smoke exposure needs to be updated to include some extra steps.
1. Cleanse every night to clear your skin of built-up grime, bacteria, and toxins.
2. Add antioxidants to your routine to replenish those that were lost from environmental exposure. (Pro Tip: Both of these things can be solved in one Skin Script product: Pomegranate Antioxidant Cleanser)
3. Wear sunscreen! We love CoTZ sunscreen. Even if it may be difficult to limit exposure to smoke, you can also work to decrease your exposure to other oxidative stressors, like UV rays.
4. Get regular facials and exfoliate your body! Monthly facials allow for new cells to regenerate and rise to the surface, but at the same time allows for recovery so skin isn’t overly aggravated. This helps to combat dry and dull skin from environmental toxins.
5. Strengthen your skin barrier! This is a long-term solution that can help your skin over time. It’s worth finding and using products with ingredients that are known to strengthen your skin barrier function. Think ceramides, squalane, colloidal oat, and manuka honey. This all calm inflammation and nourish the skin with lipids.
Do you need to schedule your next facial or stop in for some skin-saving products? Anjou Spa is here for you! With experienced Estos and our own retail space that’s lovely to browse in, we welcome you to come on in and shop with us or book an appointment.
You can also give us a call at 541-241-8454 and schedule your appointment or ask for product recommendations.
We are located at: 1835 NW Pence Lane, BODY studio (Ste 120) & FACE studio (Ste 140) Bend, OR 97703
Stay safe and healthy out there!