In the city, summer brings two assaults at once: the heat, which dilates the pores and drives up sebum, and the pollution, whose microparticles cling to skin that is already oily and damp. The result soon shows: a grey complexion, visible pores, small blemishes and that dull veil by the end of the day. The good news is that all of it can be neutralised with three simple habits.
1. Why the heat and pollution combination is worse in summer
When it is hot, the skin produces more sebum and the pores dilate. At the same time, the fine particles from traffic and ozone settle on the face, where they find an oily, moist surface, ideal for embedding themselves. These particles generate oxidative stress: in concrete terms, they accelerate ageing, both wrinkles and dark spots, and sustain a low-grade inflammation that dulls the complexion. A single day in the city is enough to deposit them on the face, between the metro, an open-air lunch and journeys on foot. There is no need to be in full sun: pollution marks the skin all on its own.
2. Antioxidants, your shield (on the plate and in the bottle)
Against oxidative stress, the countermeasure has a name, antioxidants, and it plays out on two fronts. On the plate, go for colour, from red berries to green vegetables and cooked tomatoes, without forgetting green tea and omega-3s, which arm the skin from within. As for skincare, apply one or two drops of an antioxidant serum in the morning, under your moisturiser. Vitamin C remains the benchmark, with the C E Ferulic from SkinCeuticals or The Ordinary Vitamin C, and niacinamide complements it beautifully by regulating sebum.
3. The right cleanse: simple in the evening, and what the treatment adds
There is no need to overcomplicate things. In the evening, a good cleanser removes the pollution, the sebum and the SPF of the day, and that is the essential part. On heavily exposed days, after public transport, sport or a thick SPF, add a cleansing balm or oil just before: this is the double cleanse, nothing more complicated. Among the brands, simple men's ranges do the job very well, such as Horace (French) or Lab Series (premium). In the studio, my approach is different: I do not strip the epidermis, I work the muscle, the lymphatic drainage and the microcirculation. The drainage helps the skin clear what the city deposits on it, while the massage re-oxygenates the complexion, and skin that is better irrigated defends itself better and looks clearer.
The city marks the face in silence. In sixty minutes, a protocol of drainage and massage revives the microcirculation: the skin breathes, and the complexion is clear and rested.
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