How does smog affect skin?
You can see it lurking in a hazy layer over large cities. Its foul stench follows you through the streets. Sometimes you can even taste it. The culprit is smog. If the thought of breathing in a lungful of smog makes you choke because of the damage it can do to your respiratory system, you won’t be surprised to know that smog can also damage your skin. Smog is a chemical cocktail of low-level ozone (molecules of three oxygen atoms bound together), particulates (such as dust, soot and smoke), and other pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead [source: Rea]. When pollutants in the atmosphere are absorbed through your skin, your whole body can suffer the consequences [source:
