A New Taipei City doctor has advised pregnant women and young children to avoid long exposure to the outside during periods of poor air quality.
The Environmental Protection Administration has recently issued orange and red air-quality alerts for parts of western Taiwan, which means air quality would be poor enough to be harmful to the skin of some people after long periods of exposure, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital dermatologist Tsai Wen-chien (蔡文騫) said.
A high concentration of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) can accelerate skin aging and cause skin diseases to worsen, he said.
Photo: screen grab from the Environmental Protection Administration Web site
“If children and pregnant women are exposed to air pollution for a long time, it may increase the risk of atopic dermatitis,” he said.
Atopic dermatitis, also called eczema, is a condition that causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin.
Suspended particles, sulfides, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants in the air can aggravate skin aging, causing problems such as increased facial pigmentation and deepened wrinkles, he said, adding that air pollution can also exacerbate common skin diseases such as acne, baldness and psoriasis.
“Research has shown that children exposed to high concentrations of PM2.5 for long periods are at 1.6 times greater risk of developing eczema,” he said.
“If pregnant women are exposed to certain pollutants such as nitric oxide, the risk of neonatal eczema increases by 1.5 times,” he said.
Indoor air pollutants such as second-hand smoke, formaldehyde and the smoke from burning coal are also harmful to the skin, he said.
Tsai advised those at risk to avoid outdoor activities when air quality is poor, and to wash clothes after returning home, to prevent skin contact with residual pollutants.
Eating fruits and vegetables high in vitamins C and E, and polyphenols, can reduce the damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress to the skin, he said.
However, there is no scientific evidence supporting claims by skincare manufacturers that their products can reduce damage from air pollution, he said, adding that customers should exercise caution when buying such goods.
With changes in seasons, temperature and humidity, the skin gradually adjusts the amount of sebum it excretes, the amount of water it retains and the thickness of the stratum corneum to adapt to environmental changes, Tsai said.
“However, the skin might not have time to adjust when the weather changes rapidly. Therefore, it is recommended to use sun protection and moisturizing products,” he said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS