Holidays are here! Time for traveling to family and vacations. Who doesn’t love an adventure? But who doesn’t love getting bad skin on an adventure?
How to avoid developing or aggravating skin conditions while on the plane?
LOW HUMIDITY REACTIONS: The filtered air inside the airplane is low humidity, with less water in the air than walking around on land. So flying is an automatic dehydrator. That is especially bad for people with dry skin, eczema, and other issues that pop up when under such drying conditions. Skin becomes itchy, ashy, flaky and in the extreme, achy stingy–feeling skin — not good!
And this may seem counter–intuitive, but oily skin can become oilier in the airplane cabin! The glands in the skin that naturally produce sebum oil kick in to work overtime to compensate for lack of moisture in the environment. Overactive sebaceous glands produce more oil that clogs pores, keeping dead skin cells from shedding naturally, causing breakouts.
What to do? The best way to prevent dehydration is to hydrate before the trip. Indulge your skin with moisturizing products. Bring a tiny spray bottle of facial mist and use that every few hours. Some passengers on long trips will take advantage of the time — passengers who are a little less inhibited and shy, at least — will apply face mask while on the flight! The rest of us may just be more comfortable with drinking extra water on the trip. We should also avoid alcohol and caffeine; not only do those beverages dehydrate, they may keep you from relaxing on a longer flight.
HIGH PRESSURE: Other hazards that our faces face include a physical reaction to the high–pressurized cabin and high elevation of being flying above the clouds. Mucus membranes swell. Eyes susceptible to puffiness will get puffy.
What to do? Get relief from cooling compresses (freeze them before your flight and keep them in a small cooler to carry on)! If you have room, bring those cooling gadgets and cold stones for a relaxing therapy session. Everyone will look on, jealous. And for the uninhibited, applying gel mask strips to the undereyes will keep the bags in the luggage compartment and not on your face.
HERE IS THE SUN: Speaking of flying above the clouds, that means that travelers are thousands of miles closer to the sun. UVA and UVB rays from the sun can penetrate the window glass.
What to do? Close the window blind to block out the rays and take advantage of the dimness to relax and sleep without the glare disturbing you. But if you like to look out and the window keeps claustrophobia at bay, you’re going to have to apply sunscreen on your face, hands and any skin that is exposed.
If you’re also treating the puffiness under the eyes and spritzing your face, be sure to re–apply sunscreen every few hours.
IT’S CATCHING. AND STICKING: Finally, spending hours in a confined public place can lead to allergic reactions, infections and pores clogged with debris. The skin is a natural magnet to impurities flying in the air.
What to do? The most important thing you can do to protect your skin is WASH YOUR HANDS. You don’t need the dirt particles and pollutants to irritate your dry skin, get caught in your pores, cause allergic reactions and infect broken skin and wounds. Disease outbreaks make us more aware that clean hands are a must when you’re out and about. Disinfect the surfaces around you. Don’t touch too many items that many others touch. NEVER PUT YOUR DIRTY FINGERS ON YOUR SKIN.
Wash your hands often, especially before touching your face. And when you arrive to your hotel or home, wash your face. Wash the environment off and keep it off. Don’t forget your neck and everything that was exposed to the elements. that’s the way to make sure you have happy memories of your trip, and not lingering problems!
Traveling for the Holidays? Pat Collins SkinSolutions® skincare cleansers, moisturizers, scrub and exfoliant inside the On–The–Go Kits are TSA–Friendly! Conveniently packaged products can be taken anywhere — available to use whenever you need a fresh face! Ingredients from nature: botanicals, trees, fruits, plants, herbs, vitamins and anti–oxidants. Kits available for Oily/Combination and Dry/Normal skintypes. Leaves skin smooth & glowing!
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