Gift your skin a resilience package.

City life can be exciting, energising…and extremely bad for your skin.

From UV radiation to fumes and smog, the list of pollutants you’re exposed to daily is never-ending—unfortunately, your skin is the first target of these aggressors. As the main barrier between your body and the outside world, the skin acts as a physical, chemical and immunological shield to limit the effects of pollution on your health.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s impenetrable: the more hits it takes, the more battered it inevitably becomes.

So exactly what kind of damage is your skin taking? And is it really that bad? (Spoiler alert: the answer is a resounding yes!)

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Urban pollution

A combination of external environmental aggressors like cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, and heavy metal emissions, urban pollution has the tendency to throw your skin wildly off balance.

One pollutant to look out for (metaphorically, at least) is PM 2.5, which refers to fine particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or smaller—a diameter that’s smaller than your pores! They can thus be absorbed deeply into the skin, oxidising the lipid layer and unleashing free radicals: molecules that are on a quest to replace their lost electron.

With a lost electron, these molecules can no longer maintain a balance between the positive and negative energies and become unstable. They thus attempt to restabilise by snatching an electron from your skin cells. The more free radicals you’re exposed to, the faster the antioxidants in your body (i.e. molecules that neutralise free radicals before they can wreak havoc on your skin cells) deplete, and the harder it gets for your cells to fight off the pollutants.

The result? Your skin’s natural protective barrier weakens, increasing the skin’s susceptibility to pigmentation, dryness, inflammation and sensitivity, and a dull complexion.

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Photo pollution

Did you know that 80% of the skin ageing process is linked to pollution associated with sun exposure? Yes, the sun’s UV radiation is responsible for ageing signs like wrinkling, dryness, sagging and hyperpigmentation!

As you can probably guess, photo pollution refers to the photo-accelerators of ageing like UV rays and blue light. Not only does it induce oxidative stress to increase pigmentation, it also destroys your collagen and elastin fibres, which maintain the skin’s firmness, texture and bounce.

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Worse still, the rise of digital devices today has allowed these silent agers to take centre stage in modern life. Exposure to computers, cell phones, tablets and TV screens contributes significantly to the skin ageing process—which means your skin is not just at risk outdoors, but indoors as well! 

So unless you’re planning on moving far, far away from all signs of civilisation, these pollutants are pretty much inescapable.

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Meet your skin saviour

As bad as it all sounds, it’s not all doom and gloom! Meet Estetica’s NEW Skin Shield Oxygen Facial, which helps protect your skin from forms of pollution that weaken the skin barrier and accelerate premature ageing. 

It basically follows a three-pronged approach to:

  1. Cleanse your skin of any impurities and toxins that limit its ability to function optimally 
  2. Reinforce and increase cellular metabolism, and restore radiance to the complexion
  3. Protect cellular functions from oxidative stress caused by various pollutants

The dynamic duo

Key to its effectiveness are two innovative active ingredients–Lignacell and Light’ensis. 

If you haven’t heard of them before, don’t fret! Let’s break it down together.

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Lignacell, extracted from a plant commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (i.e.Schisandra Chinensis), has been clinically proven to protect against environmental aggressions and help recover the skin’s physiological balance.

Remember those pesky little things called free radicals? Well, you won’t have to worry about them for much longer—Lignacell’s powerful antioxidant properties help combat them to strengthen the skin’s protective barrier.

It also carries anti-inflammatory and detoxifying benefits, minimising the skin’s inflammatory response and maintaining dermal integrity by avoiding the degradation of collagen and elastin fibres.

Up next is Light’ensis, which possesses the natural ability to protect against UV rays, pollutants and blue light to repair and protect the skin from photoageing. 

Containing a high concentration of flavonoids, it resets cellular metabolism and protects your skin from oxidative stress, inflammation and cell damages. Hence, it’s useful in reducing any fine lines and wrinkles, as well as in helping you regain supple and firm skin!

When combined, these two bioactives protect your skin against various environmental attacks while helping it develop resilience and resistance to oxidative stress. 

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Signs you should try this facial

Are you constantly exposed to pollutants, UV rays and blue light? (Remember—your phone screen counts!) Is your skin sensitive, congested or dull? Are you noticing the signs of premature ageing?

If you’re answering yes to any (or all) of these questions, it might be time to try out our Skin Shield Oxygen Facial. Available at $128 (U.P. $350) for your first trial, it’ll help protect and restore your skin to its optimal health and get you that radiant glow. 

It also comes with a complimentary Advanced Cryo+ Freeze Therapy worth $150, which instantly soothes skin sensitivity and redness while depuffing and tightening your pores. Better yet, purchase our online e-voucher and enjoy a FREE eye mask during your facial treatment session! 

These daily aggressors are naked to your eyes, and so are their effects. Slowly but surely, it will deteriorate your skin in the long run. So before it’s too late, get your shields up and keep yourself protected! 

We promise that you’ll thank yourself in years to come. 

In good hands, 
Estetica