Inside the womb our skin is allowed to develop and thrive exactly as nature intended. We’re protected in our little bubbles, fed and nourished and exposed to nothing but a dull orange light and the muffled sounds of nests being feathered. Then pop! We’re out in the open. One of the most noticeable things is the softness, flawlessness and quickness of healing of the baby’s skin. The phrase “as soft as a baby’s bottom” doesn’t come from nowhere.

But unfortunately, the moment of birth signals the end of our protection from the environment around us. The skin has so much to deal with as it’s our first line of defence from the atmosphere, and bears the brunt of it. That’s not to say, of course, that having baby-soft skin all our lives would necessarily be a good thing either. We do need to toughen up a little to cope with the scrapes, scratches and bumps we have to get used to as we go about our lives. And let’s face it, most men would prefer a lived-in look to a baby face, so perhaps there’s an optimum age we aspire to when it comes to keeping our skin looking youthful.

We are all used to protecting ourselves from the sun nowadays, probably more than ever. Cultures that have traditionally kept the sun off them, such as Middle Eastern and South East Asian ones, have probably done it more out of necessity and survival than for cosmetic reasons, but the effect is the same. And since ozone depletion was discovered, we have taken anti-UV skin care more seriously, both for cosmetic purposes and for health reasons. Keeping the sun off the skin, either by staying indoors or in the shadows, covering up or applying creams and sprays to ourselves has now become second nature, and anti-UV ingredients are commonly found in everyday moisturisers.

The sun is not the only thing that can adversely affect our skin. A lot of our problems come from the air around us. We’ve all seen images of miners emerging from their pits, their faces covered in black coal dust. Although that is obviously an extreme example, simply living in the city or even next to a busy road has the same effect, over a much larger time scale. Those buses, cars and motorbikes that go whizzing past, the factories on the outskirts of the city, the planes over our heads and the power stations far away – they all produce small amounts of soot and other impurities which will fly around until they meet something to land on, be it a beautiful building or us. But unfortunately we can’t be sand-blasted.

One way we can help is to keep a barrier between ourselves and the urban environment. There are dozens of barrier creams on the market, but some, such as City Protect spf 50 from Matis, are designed specifically for those of us who simply can’t avoid the city. And since the majority of us live, work and entertain ourselves among the hustle and bustle, it’s definitely worth taking steps to protect ourselves from its dirty side.

Tracey is a skin care expert and industry champion who writes about healthy skincare ranges such as matis which aims to protect us from the effects of urban living. Tracey also writes columns for a selection of skin care companies.

Tracey is a skin care expert and industry champion who writes about healthy skincare ranges such as Matis at http://www.skincare-online.com/ which aims to protect us from the effects of urban living. Tracey also writes columns for a selection of skincare companies.

Author Bio: Tracey is a skin care expert and industry champion who writes about healthy skincare ranges such as matis which aims to protect us from the effects of urban living. Tracey also writes columns for a selection of skin care companies.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: