Glasgow's Miles Better... For Your Skin

A survey by beauty brand Simple exploring the negative impact that living in a city has on our skin has revealed Glasgow as the UK’s most skin-friendly city.

The stress levels of 1100 women living in the UK’s busiest cities were monitored over a 12-month period to develop this ‘City Skin Scale’.

Three factors were taken into account – three aggressors on skin – pollution, stress levels and the sun. And, before we get too cocky, if we flip this survey a little bit, Glasgow wins out thanks to the lowest average hours of sunshine, at just 14.2% compared to the likes of Cardiff with 18.75%. But Glasgow was revealed as a less stressful city to live in than Edinburgh!

All of this is part of the Simple City Skin initiative, and of course, to recommend the Simple products which will help your stressed out city-living skin!

Simple has worked with top dermatologists and the Simple Advisory Board to produce a campaign to combat skin sensitivity, environmental ageing and the latest skincare concerns, caused by city living.

The integrated ‘City Skin’ initiative aims to  educate women on products that can be introduced into their skincare regime, and small but effective lifestyle changes, that in turn will improve skin texture, tone and health. The result is a holistic approach to skincare – a trend that includes everything from the right skincare products and proper nutrition to fitness, wellness and beauty choices.
Renowned dermatologist, Dr. Susan Mayou, said: “As a dermatologist I feel it is important to raise awareness of the key effects that city-living can have on the condition and appearance of skin, and offer advice that will help to maintain the health of one’s skin. It is evident that pollution levels can be higher outside of rural areas, and this can impact skin by causing the formation of free radicals or reactive oxygen species. Therefore, in the short-term, pollution can cause barrier damage and inflammation. However, more long-term damage is expressed as signs of ageing, which include fine lines, wrinkles and dyspigmentation.”
In order to reduce these visible signs of distress, Simple  recommends using products from the range that will cleanse skin, removing poryphins caused by dirt and polluted air. The Simple Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion (£2.99), used day and night will ensure that dirt is removed from pores, in order to help prevent build-up, which leads to dullness and signs of ageing.

A more common influencer of sensitive skin is weather, particularly sun exposure and UV rays – even if there isn’t much in Scotland, it can still damage!  Dr. Susan Mayou reminds us here of the vital importance of including a product that includes SPF within your daily skincare routine in order to protect against these damaging rays.“The immediate effects of sun exposure can include redness, sunburn and flaking skin. However, in the long-term UV damage causes poor texture and sallow complexion, brown spots, fine lines, wrinkles and ultimately scaly, red, patches,” she says.

She recommends “a tea spoon of SPF15 or higher to the face all year round. Just because the sun isn’t hot in January doesn’t mean it isn’t there!” Simple’s experts recommend introducing the Simple  Kind To Skin Protecting Light Moisturiser SPF15 (£4.99) into your daily routine to help protect from the sun.
Stress caused by daily commutes, long working hours and financial concerns are all a list of common complaints for city dwellers, which can unfortunately have a detrimental effect on skin’s appearance.  “As a result of city induced stress, cortisol production increases and immunity levels are generally lower, which can lead to out-breaks of cold sores and even shingles,” says Dr Susan. “Furthermore, the skin’s natural resistance drops making skin more susceptible to other elements including pollution and weather.”
To combat the signs of stress induced skin, try the  Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser (£2.99) or the Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser (£2.99), if your skin is a bit on the dry side. These moisturisers hope to  reduce the fine lines and dull skin, giving a more energised and fresh appearance.

Simple products are available in Boots, Superdrug and more. Visit simple.co.uk and use the hashtag #KindToCitySkin to join in the social media chat

Here’s the table of results in full if you are interested: