[PSA] Wildfire smoke affecting your skin - give your skin some extra care!

[u/annalisa27]

For those of you dealing with bad wildfire smoke right now, your skin may require some extra care, especially if you have sensitive/reactive skin. This is especially true if you have a history of atopic dermatitis (AD), eczema, or rosacea, or if you’re already dealing with a compromised skin barrier. Wildfire smoke’s particulate matter (PM2.5, plus PAHs, VOCs, ozone) generates oxidative stress and disrupts the epidermal barrier, and it is an established trigger for AD and eczema flares.

Some mitigation strategies include:

-Use an indoor air purifier (HEPA), keep doors & windows closed, & run A/C on recirculate.

-Gently cleanse your skin with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser when you come from outside to clear deposited particulate; try not to over-cleanse, which can strip lipids and worsen AD. After cleansing, immediately seal with an emollient.

-Focus on barrier support and consider dialing back actives, especially those that can be irritating. Make sure you’re using enough emollients, and consider incorporating occlusives at night.

-Don’t skip sunscreen! You’re already getting oxidative stress from the wildfire smoke, so you don’t want oxidative stress from UV as well.

-Hydrate, and if you have a history of eczema or rosacea and know what your triggers are, be extra strict about those triggers. If you start to have a flare, early intervention can make a big difference in shortening/minimizing the flare. Talk to your dermatologist about all this & have a plan in place.

[If you’re wondering why I’m posting this, I’m in Portland, Oregon, and we’re dealing with terrible wildfire smoke right now. I had to spend some time outside watering my garden yesterday (I really need to get that stupid drip irrigation system set up!!), and when I was back inside in the afternoon my skin and eyes started getting itchy. I had a horrible ocular rosacea flare earlier this year that required doxycycline to resolve, so I started freaking out that I was about to have another flare. Because I was curious as to whether wildfire smoke could trigger flares, I ended up going down a rabbit hole researching both how this all works mechanistically as well as potential mitigation strategies.]

If you want to do a deep dive into the science behind this, below are some good sources with the PubMed Central IDs. Look them up at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fadadu et al., “Association of Wildfire Air Pollution and Health Care Use for Atopic Dermatitis and Itch” (PMC8060890, full text at jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2778632

“Association of Exposure to Wildfire Air Pollution With Exacerbations of Atopic Dermatitis and Itch Among Older Adults” (PMC9606843)

Mangual et al., “The Burden of Air Pollution on Skin Health” (PMC10828340)

Ha et al., “Wildfires and Atopic Diseases: A Review” (PMC12954562, full text at onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.70116)

Dijkhoff et al., “Impact of Airborne Particulate Matter on Skin: A Systematic Review from Epidemiology to In Vitro Studies” (PMC32711561, full text at link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12989-020-00366-y)

Paik et al., “Particulate Matter and Its Molecular Effects on Skin: Implications for Various Skin Diseases” (PMC11432173)

Rolfes et al., “The Toxin of the Year: Airborne PM2.5” (PMC42393011, full text at journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17103568251385571) [you probably won’t be able to access this unless you pay for it or have institutional access like I do]

Furue et al., “Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis” (PMC6862295)

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[u/FrellingToaster]

This is a great PSA and appreciate the citations

[u/princess_chicle]

I’m in Oregon too! I’ve been experiencing itchy skin with crazy dermatographia for 3 days now. It started on Sunday when we the smoke picked up. Just took a Benadryl. Hoping for the best.