Climate and the Skin

Pollution Affects Skin, Too

January 20, 2019 By Mary L Williams, M.D. Leave a Comment

Urban smog in China. Hazy conditions due to air pollution are rich in particulate matter, coated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and in ozone. Both particulate matter and ozone pollution are linked to skin aging and flares of eczema. Photo by Mary L. Williams — Urban smog in China

Pollution Affects Skin

It’s common knowledge that air pollution is bad for our lungs. Individuals with asthma or other chronic lung ailments are particularly vulnerable to its effects. But how often have we thought about the harm that pollution could be doing to our skin? Don’t feel guilty if you haven’t given this much thought, because dermatologists, themselves, have paid little attention to it– at least not until recently, that is. And one thing seems obvious at the outset. Unlike our eyes, which itch and water on days when the pollution index soars, or our lungs which may tighten if we have sensitive lungs – skin gives us no warnings that it is under attack.

The effects of pollution on our skin are typically insidious, their onset delayed.

Yet, several recent studies have shown that polluted air is bad for the skin. Air pollution increases office visits for acne, and is associated with flares of eczema (atopic dermatitis) in children and the increased prevalence of other eczemas in older adults. Air pollution is also linked to the development of pigmented spots on the face.

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Air Pollution, Climate Change and the Skin

December 6, 2018 By Mary L Williams, M.D. Leave a Comment

The link between climate change and air pollution was experience in San Francisco in November 2018. Fires burning 100 miles north of the city forced people to stay indoors or wear breathing masks. — Pollution from distant climate change-related forest fires cloud San Francisco’s skies forcing many to stay indoors or wear protective masks. Photo by Mary L Williams

Air pollution and climate change go hand in hand. The truth behind this statement may not be immediately apparent to everyone, but those of us who live and breathe in San Francisco now know it all to well. We learned the hard way. As wildfires more than 100 miles north of our city raged out of control last month– fires that were triggered by drought that was fostered by climate change – their smoke clouded our skies, filled our lungs and bathed our skin.

The Bay Area was on air quality alerts for weeks. ‘Red’ alert days, cautioning the very young, elderly and those with heart and lung disease to remain indoors. These announcements soon gave way to a few days of even more extreme, ‘purple’ alerts, when the air was simply unsafe for everyone!

Schools were closed and those who ventured out wore surgical masks – all because of air pollution because of Climate Change!

Wildfires have been a problem in California more or less forever. [Read more…] about Air Pollution, Climate Change and the Skin

Climate Change, Infectious Diseases And The Skin

September 13, 2018 By Mary L Williams, M.D. 1 Comment

Climate change is impacting habitats such as those of Joshua trees and causing the spread of many infectious diseases — Joshua trees are also threatened by climate change. Photo by Mary L. Williams

One undisputed consequence of our changing climate is the spread of infectious diseases into new regions as their habitats change. Many so-called tropical diseases are now moving into more temperate latitudes.

While Washington fiddles and California burns, deadly microbes are on the march.

Diseases, particularly those that are carried by mosquitoes, fleas and ticks, are expanding into new regions. No matter where you live in the US, one or more of the infectious diseases they bear is or will soon be in your neighborhood. Recently, The Center for Biological Diversity published an interactive map that shows the tick- and insect-borne diseases which are predicted to enter your locale.

How Skin Is Impacted By The Shifting Landscape Of Infectious Diseases

Global warming is shifting the landscape of infectious diseases, and skin is a player on this field because – at the very least – it provides the ‘portal of entry’ through which microbes can be introduced by these biting ‘arthropods’, (the invertebrate phylum that includes insects and ticks). But beyond serving as the entry point, skin often is involved at an early stage in these infections and its involvement can provide the key clue to the correct diagnosis. The rash of Lyme disease is a good example.

Climate Change And The Skin: Heat Waves

August 9, 2018 By Mary L Williams, M.D. Leave a Comment

Death Valley, Photo: Mary L. Williams | What do heat waves have to do with the skin? — Death Valley. Photo by Mary L. Williams

Heat Waves And The Skin?

One obvious consequence of global warming is the more frequent occurrence of dangerous heat waves – but what, you might ask, do heat waves have to do with the skin? The simple answer is everything – as we shall soon see.

It may not be news to anyone that heat waves are hazardous to our health. Death Valley earned its name generations ago.

In 2003, not so very long ago, a heat wave in Northern Europe is estimated to have cost at least 35, 000 lives. Some authorities suggest that as many as 70, 000 lives were lost to the prolonged heat. Hot summers in the northern and central parts of Europe were uncommon in the past. Consequently, housing there did not need to be adapted for hot spells, and often lacked air conditioning or even good cross ventilation.

The city we live in, San Francisco, too, is typically cool during the summer, thanks to an abundant supply of marine fog, and most San Francisco homes do not have air conditioning. Thus, when the temperature soars into the upper 80’s, as it did the other day, our population is at risk for heat-related illnesses. [Read more…] about Climate Change And The Skin: Heat Waves

Will Climate Change Affect My Skin?

May 25, 2018 By Mary L Williams, M.D. Leave a Comment

Climate Change in San Francisco with ozone pollution on a sunny spring morning — A view of beautiful San Francisco on a sunny, polluted spring morning

A recent warm and sunny spring morning, I found myself contemplating my good fortune to live in beautiful San Francisco, as I walked back from the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero, pulling a cartload of fresh produce from its famous Saturday Farmers’ Market. But soon my reverie was clouded by less happy thoughts. Was I feeling breathless now, because I was merely out of shape? Or was the tightness in my chest caused by too much ozone in the air? Or was that sensation due to the particulate pollution that was spewing out of the speeding cars on this busy thoroughfare?

When it comes to the quality of its air, beautiful San Francisco, (as I had just learned from the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2018 report), is one of the worst offenders in our nation. And while our city can be proud that its conservation efforts have reduced pollution from particle emissions, its ozone pollution has become worse – essentially erasing any gains. [Read more…] about Will Climate Change Affect My Skin?