Studies are multiplying confirming the strong link between the level of “smog”
and skin diseases including, atopic dermatitis and acne. The very young are more exposed
In addition to the known damage that smog causes on health, such as premature deaths, peaks of respiratory disorders and tumors, we are beginning to think how much air pollution also affects skin diseases. There are still many hypotheses, but something is changing because dermatological observations resulting from events such as the fires that torment the California summers or the pollution peaks in the Chinese metropolises or in the more industrialized areas of Northern Italy are multiplying. In these situations, cases of atopic dermatitis, itching, psoriasis and acne are increasing. Furthermore, dermatologists denounce summer has accentuated the sensitivity of the skin because during the summer the temperatures are higher and more hours are spent outdoors exposed to ultraviolet rays and traffic.
Studies
“Pollution is a serious public health problem and increases the risk of allergies and eczema in children and adults,” researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Research and Environmental Medicine in Dusseldorf, Germany recently explained in the Handbook of Experimental. Pharmacology in which they investigated the reactions of the skin to the indoor environment by comparing it with the outdoor one. Even the scientific magazine Jama Dermatology dedicated an editorial to the effects of pollution on the skin commenting on data collected by scientists at California University after frequent forest fires. In 2018, a year of record heat and an increase of Pm 2.5 (identical fine particles produced by the city smog) caused by fires, the number of cases of atopic dermatitis and various forms of chronic itching increased by 50% in children and by 15% in adults residing in Californian counties.
In China
In the Chinese metropolises with very high levels of smog, many cases of a new form of post-adolescent acne appear, correlated with the most polluted days, according to what was reported by the Army Medical University scholars who observed it in over 27 thousand children more exposed to fine dust. nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The data was published on the Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology.
Global action
“It is important that global action is promoted to reduce pollution. You can’t go in no particular order », underlines Luigi Naldi, head of the Group of Epidemiological Research in Dermatology (Gised), one of the most cited researchers in the field of dermatology, which has been dealing with the relationship between skin health and pollution for years. «It should be noted that the most harmful effects are borne by younger subjects with more sensitive skin. And most of the external pollutants derive from human activities: they range from particulate matter, such as heavy metals or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and gases (CO2, CO, NO2, NO, SO2) to substances such as ozone that they are formed by photochemical reactions between these molecules, heat and ultraviolet rays. These factors can influence the progression of inflammatory skin diseases and increase the risk of skin cancers. However, the clinical data are still fragmentary but are starting to increase ».
English data
«There are English epidemiological data – continues Naldi – which tell us that atopic dermatitis, the most common eczema in children, is more frequent among the inhabitants near motorway junctions with higher hydrocarbon rates than diesel engines. We too have observed the relationship between atopic dermatitis and the urban environment of northern Italy, collecting data in the province of Bergamo. Fossil fuels and forest destruction contribute to rising temperatures and global warming. The global warming alarm is growing and it is suspected that it will further lead to a worsening of inflammatory skin diseases and also of autoimmune bullous diseases such as penphigus, as well as an increase in insects that can bite us, such as tiger mosquitoes ».
Hygiene
How can the skin be protected? «It is important to take care of the air quality in domestic environments and it is also useful to avoid staying outdoors for prolonged periods in polluted urban environments. Green helps us. Planting trees partly means purifying the air – adds the specialist -. It is still important to take care of personal hygiene, washing with non-aggressive detergents and preferring natural fibers such as cotton for clothing. Finally, the population must be educated to reduce pollution with healthier and more sustainable lifestyles, for example also by trying to use cars less ».
September 9, 2021 (change September 9, 2021 | 20:38)
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