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Air travel sucks the life out of your skin. Use a heavy moisturiser on the hands OUR Diwali holidays are over and we are awaiting our Christmas vacation. In these days of modern air travel (15-hour non-stop Mumbai-New York flight, or two-hour Mumbai-Delhi flight), which part of your anatomy suffers the most? Well, it is your skin. The skin is the largest organ in the body — 12-15 per cent of the body weight, with a surface area of 1-2 [square] metres. It is not our imagination that air travel sucks the life out of our skin. There are many factors that influence our skin when we travel. The re-circulated air on planes is five times drier than the desert! The lack of humidity also causes loss of moisturiser vitality of the skin. The air inside the cabin of a plane usually has a humidity level of 10 to 20 per cent — much lower than a comfortable typical indoor humidity of 30 to 65 per cent.
For this reason, it is very important to take measures to keep yourself hydrated while you are on a flight. According to Journal of Environmental Health Research, the typical relative humidity in aircraft cabins for flights over an hour is below 10 per cent for most of the journey, dropping to less than 5 per cent on longer flights. Dry skin will become drier, but did you know that oily skin will get even oilier when flying on a plane? When the skin has no water, it attempts to compensate for the dehydration by producing more oil — which is the last thing that oily skin needs. But for dry skins that have no oil glands, the skin will be depleted of its water content. The natural moisture in the skin on your face starts to dwindle and you look (and feel) tired. Your hands become rough. You feel thirsty. For some, travelling may mean even more alcohol and coffee than normal, both of which can dehydrate our skin. So the question is, whether we are arriving in some exotic destination to begin a new adventure, or returning home after vacation, or business travel, what can we do to get off that plane with our skin positively glowing? Take your vitamins! The skin is the largest organ of our body and, being an external organ, will rather quickly show signs of toxic overload! The vitamins most recommended are antioxidants, or ACES: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium, and a B-complex vitamin. It is also excellent to take a calcium-magnesium supplement at night, or when you want to sleep on a plane. Use a heavier moisturiser than you normally do. Both oily and dry skins can become dehydrated, and being dehydrated is definitely attributed to racking up those frequent flier miles! Even if you have an oily skin, you can use an oil-free moisturiser. Some frequent fliers recommend flying with a facial spritzer. The eyes are one of the first features to show fatigue, especially when travelling. You might experience puffiness, bags or dark circles in addition to dryness and irritation. So, what can you do? If you are a contact-wearer, consider storing your lenses for the flight and wear glasses, instead. If you are on an overnight flight — no matter the tight quarters of the airplane lavatory — make sure you still remove your eye makeup every night. The hands and lips can
also suffer from dryness. Apply moisturising cream on the hands two or
three times and massage it into the skin. Remember to pack lip balm or
cream and apply it during and after your flight. An almond cream is
ideal for the lips. You can even use your moisturiser on your lips if
you want to. — MF
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