Traffic‐derived air pollution compromises skin barrier function and stratum corneum redox status: A population study

Abstract

Background Since air pollution is only one of many environmental stressors that can affect skin, it has been challenging to identify skin appearance or functional features profoundly affected by chronic exposure to traffic‐derived air pollution. Aims The current population study focused on taxi drivers working in urban and rural areas in order to take advantage of difference in occupational exposure. Methods The skin conditions of 100 middle‐aged male taxi drivers from urban Shanghai and 66 from rural Chongming were measured with facial tape strips were collected for biomarker analyses. Results Trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL) values before and after tape stripping were considerably higher in urban taxi drivers from Shanghai. Contrary to previous studies, there was no apparent detrimental effect on skin wrinkle or pigmentation from traffic pollution, which might be attributed to the higher than general public level of photo‐exposure in this population. At the same time, pollution exposure especially the heavy traffic pollution exposure was found to associate with lower stratum corneum trypsin‐like enzyme activity (SCTE), reduced catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) in tape strips. Conclusion The evidence suggests that traffic‐derived air pollution could deteriorate skin's physical and antioxidant barrier, whereas factors like photo‐exposure can be overwhelming against appearance aging. Therefore, in addition to photoprotection, skin barrier care should be considered for people with high air pollution exposure.

Antioxidant and reduced skin-ageing effects of a polyphenol-enriched dietary supplement in response to air pollution: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

“…Although it is reasonable to assume that the skin is one of the first organs to be affected by air pollution, our knowledge regarding the harmful effects of air pollution on skin physiology remains limited. It has been recently shown that air pollution, mainly PM, can penetrate the skin barrier and alter its redox status (2,3). Particulate matter induces oxidative stress, increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and DNA damage.…”

Facial Skin Microbiota-Mediated Host Response to Pollution Stress Revealed by Microbiome Networks of Individual

“…Our previous report demonstrated that urbanization-related pollution stress significantly affected skin physiological properties, including skin indices like total antioxidant capacity, cholesterol levels, vitamin E (VE), and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and the activities of stratum corneum tryptic enzyme (SCTE) and catalase ( 18 ). While there is evidence indicating that skin microbes may be involved in certain biochemical events related to cholesterol esterification ( 21 ), skin antioxidant defense ( 22 ), and epidermal proteolytic activity ( 23 ), the mediative role of microbes in driving skin biophysical and biochemical responses toward environmental stimuli remains to be elucidated.…”

“…Forty-three, 11, and 2 years were the median value of the corresponding variables of age, years of working, and service life of the taxi. Detailed information on this clinical study was previously reported ( 18 ). In brief, exclusion criteria included daily alcohol drinking, skin diseases, regular medication with antihistamines or anti-inflammatory drugs, or having had facial cosmetic procedures.…”

“…We previously reported that taxi drivers exposed to heavy-traffic-derived pollutants in urban Shanghai city (SH) had weakened skin physical and antioxidant barrier properties compared with those on Chongming island (CM) ( 18 ), a rural area of the Shanghai municipality. Here, we further profiled the facial skin microbiome of the two taxi driver cohorts by 16S amplicon sequencing with subgroups of smokers and nonsmokers in both SH and CM (a total of 58 subjects) and constructed an MNI for each subject.…”

Antioxidant and Reduced Skin Ageing Effects of A Polyphenol-Enriched Dietary Supplement in Response to Air Pollution: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

“…Although it is reasonable to assume that the skin is one of the first organs to be affected by air pollution, our knowledge regarding the harmful effects of air pollution on skin physiology remains limited. It has been recently shown that air pollution, mainly particulate matter, can penetrate the skin barrier and alter its redox status [2,3]. PM induces oxidative stress, increases ROS production and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in lipid peroxidation and DNA damage.…”