How can we prevent air pollution-induced skin damage?

  • 10min
  • May. 2022
  • Supported by
    • La Roche-Posay

More than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution (3000 cities in 103 countries) are exposed to air quality levels that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) limits. While all regions of the world are affected, populations in low-income cities are the most impacted.

According to the latest urban air quality database, 98% of cities in low- and middle- income countries with more than 100 000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality guidelines. However, in high-income countries, that percentage decreases to 56%.1



Air pollution: a confirmed damaging effect on healthy and diseased skin


Whilst the effect of air pollution on health is very well known, strong scientific evidence now shows that it is also a major cause of skin aging and damage on skin, especially in people with sensitive skin, acne, atopic dermatitis, etc.

Damage even occurs at the relatively low levels of air pollution typically seen in European and North American cities. Sun exposure can increase the effects.


A harmful synergy between UV (particularly UVA) radiation and pollution has also been observed.



Skin and pollution: what can we do?


While effective policies to reduce emissions at their sources have been translated into substantial health benefits, there is limited evidence of the benefits of personal-level interventions like wearing a facemask, installing PM filters in household, using an air filtration unit, etc.2,3,4

For the skin, general strategies include:




Going Further

Global urban air pollution: Key trends from 2008-20131

Global urban air pollution levels increased by 8%, despite improvements in some regions.

In general, urban air pollution levels were lowest in high-income countries, with lower levels most prevalent in Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific Region.

The highest urban air pollution levels were experienced in low-and middle-income countries in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia Regions, with annual mean levels often exceeding 5-10 times WHO limits, followed by low-income cities in the Western Pacific Region.

In the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia Regions and low-income countries in the Western Pacific Region, levels of urban air pollution has increased by more than 5% in more than two-thirds of the cities.

In the African Region urban air pollution data remains very sparse, however available data revealed particulate matter (PM) levels above the median.

Bibliography

  1. WHO Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database - update 2016. WHO website :
    Link to abstract
  2. Brook R.D., Rajagopalan S., C. Arden Pope C.A. et al. Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease: An Update to the Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation 2010;121;2331-78.
  3. Morishita M.,Thompson K.C., Brook R.D. Understanding Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Diseases: Is It Preventable? Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep. 2015 June ; 9(6).
  4. Laumbach R., Meng Q., Kipen H. What can individuals do to reduce personal health risks from air pollution? J Thorac Dis 2015;7(1):96-107
  5. Krutmann J, et al. Pollution and skin: From epidemiological and mechanistic studies to clinical implications. J Dermatol Sci (2014),
    Link to abstract
  6. Nakamura M., Morita A., Seite S. et al. Environment-induced lentigines: formation of solar lentigines beyond ultraviolet radiation. Exp Dermatol. 2015 Jun;24(6):407–11.