Methods for geolocation-based skin science-driven environmental exposure metrics
Methods for communicating risk of skin conditions due to exposure to sunlight and environmental conditions to individuals. Methods utilize geolocation data and environmental data to provide guidance and enable consumers to make informed decisions regarding outdoor activities, healthcare, and skincare. A photopollution metric is a function of ultraviolet index (UVI) and the level of a pollutant such as particulate matter (PM) and enables communication of risk of exposome-induced skin conditions to an individual based on environmental exposure.
1 . A method for managing environmental exposure and associated risk of an exposome-induced skin condition of a subject, the method comprising:
receiving, by a mobile computing device, global positioning system (GPS) data indicative of a geolocation of the subject and an ultraviolet index (UVI);
determining, by the mobile computing device, a geolocation-specific exposome level based on the GPS data received by the mobile computing device, the geolocation-specific exposome level comprising a geolocation-specific pollutant level;
determining, by the mobile computing device, the associated risk of the exposome-induced skin condition based on the geolocation-specific exposome level by determining a value of a photo-pollution metric (UVI photopollution ) based on the UVI and the geolocation-specific pollutant level; and
communicating, by the mobile computing device, the associated risk of the exposome-induced skin condition to the subject via a graphical user interface.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition to the subject comprises depicting an exposome history of the subject, an actionable guidance, a health tip, an environmental status, an environmental forecast, and/or an article of information.
3 . The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the exposome history is determined by presenting a questionnaire to the subject and receiving responses from the subject; or
wherein the exposome history is determined by accumulating the subject's historical locations and estimating historical exposure levels based on the subject's historical locations.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition to the subject further comprises providing an auditory feedback, a textual feedback, a software app-based feedback, a smartphone vibration feedback, and/or a haptic feedback to the subject.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition to the subject comprises providing one or more feedbacks that correspond to one or more severities of the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein a first geolocation-specific pollutant level corresponds with a first feedback and a first severity of the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition; and wherein a second geolocation-specific pollutant level corresponds with a second feedback and a second severity of the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition;
wherein the first geolocation-specific pollutant level is different from the second geolocation-specific pollutant level and the first feedback differs from the second feedback to communicate a difference in the associated exposure risk of the exposome-induced skin condition to the subject.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the associated risk of the exposome-induced skin condition is communicated to the subject, via the graphical user interface, as actionable guidance to enable the subject to manage their exposure to one or more pollutants or environmental stressors or as a recommended action for the subject to manage their exposure to one or more pollutants or environmental stressor.
8 . The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving geolocation-specific pollutant level information that is associated with particulate matter having a diameter of less than or equal to about 2.5 μm (PM2.5).
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining the geolocation-specific pollutant level results in UVI photopollution that increases incrementally with incremental increases in PM2.5.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the value of UVI photopollution is obtained according to:
UVI
photopollution
=
UVI
+
A
*
(
UVI
*
PM
)
wherein:
A is weighted factor that is based on an approximate biological dose of particulate mater in an environment;
(UVI*PM) is a UVI-pollutant factor; and
PM is ambient air concentration of PM2.5 in the environment in
μ
g
m
3
.