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Skincare morning routine
Skincare morning routine
Kevin Laminto
Style > Beauty

How Global Warming Is Affecting Your Skincare Routine

Margaret Bovard
Mackenzie Smith
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Furman chapter.

Global warming is a major concern across the world. We are in an environmental crisis so we naturally associate global warming with environmental consequences like temperature rises, ocean acidification, habitat transformation, and more. Many people feel unmotivated to change their behaviors that negatively impact the environment because they feel our current crisis does not affect their everyday lives. 

For many women, our morning and evening skincare routine is like a sacred ritual. Exfoliate, cleanse, moisturize, tone, and more, are all elements of our unique skincare routines. But what if I told you that the climate is already forcing you to change the way that you care for your skin. 

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, usually weighing about 11 pounds. It is also the only organ that is subjected to the outside world. This makes it very susceptible to disease as a result of changes in the environment. 

The first and probably the most prevalent change that will occur is sunscreen becoming an everyday necessity. The increased UltraViolet light exposure associated with climate change is bad news for our skin. This increased exposure will increase the rates of sunburn, skin aging, and skin cancer. 

Increasing temperatures will also increase the rate of skin disease. Bacteria thrive in warm wet conditions, and many other skin conditions are exacerbated by warm conditions. Dermatitis, eczema, rosacea, hyperhidrosis, aeroallergens, and many more are made more severe and painful as a result of warmer conditions. Some bacterial acne can also be intensified by climate change. 

What has been affecting me the most is the decreased moisture in the air because of climate change. I have very dry and sensitive skin and have had to use twice as much moisturizer than in previous winters. The rapid and unpredictable changes in barometric pressure and precipitation are stripping the air and my skin of moisture. 

Climate change is real, and it has seeped into every pore of our lives. It is time to take action to reverse the effects of climate change.

Source: www.dermnetnz.org

Margaret Bovard is a senior at Furman University from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she is a Health Science major. In addition to being a writer for HerCampus, Margaret works in a cardiology lab on campus and participates in theater. She is very passionate about sustainability and hopes to be an alpaca farmer one day. Margaret is an old soul, in her free time she knits, cross stitches, and complains about her back pain :). She can not wait to see the impact that HerCampus will have on Furman's Campus.
Mackenzie Smith is the Campus Correspondent and Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus at Furman University. She is a senior majoring in Public Health with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Mackenzie has a passion for making sure women feel empowered and important throughout all stages of life which can be seen through her work with Girlology and The Homeless Period Project.