Yes, Your Skin IS Different When You Travel - Here's Why

‘Tis the season for stacking your car full or jamming stuff into every inch of your luggage and hitting the road (or the skies) to visit family and friends for the holidays. We all want to look our best for those inevitable photos that will be taken, and maybe you’ve even been taking special care of your skin over the past few weeks to make sure you have that gorgeous glow. So why does it seem like every time you travel, your skin takes a turn for the worse?

You’re not imagining it, and it’s not just bad luck. When you travel, it actually does take a toll on your skin (yes, even if you’re just going back to your hometown).

How Geography Affects Your Skin

Your skin is a sensitive organ - it needs a delicate balance of the right conditions to flourish. And it’s especially vulnerable to changes because, unlike your other organs, it’s exposed to the elements. In fact, there are several reasons why your skin is affected by your location.

Humidity

Depending on how far you’re traveling, there’s a good chance that wherever you’re traveling to, the air is either drier or more humid than the air at home. Either one can impact your skin, because the drier the air is, the more moisture it’ll pull out of your skin.

Air Pollution and Other Particles

Everything that’s in the air touches your skin, and your skin can have a reaction. You might be surprised by how much different the air can be in different places. Even a couple hours away from home, the air might have pollutants you’re not used to, simply based on things like the industrial facilities in the area, land composition, plants and pollen, and more.

UV Index

Ever travel somewhere and think that the sun feels so much more harsh than it feels when you’re at home? UV index varies from one area to the next, based on factors like the tree life in the area, how close to the equator you are, the local weather, and the thickness of the ozone layer in the area. An equally cloudy or sunny day could give your skin much more sun exposure when you’re a few states away from home.

Water Content

It’s not just the air that changes when you travel. The water is different too. It can have minerals that your water at home doesn’t have, and the acidity might vary too. This could have an effect on your skin when you wash your face with the unfamiliar water, shower in it, and drink it.

Altitude

If your travel plans involve heading up into the mountains or down into the valley, you might notice that the air feels different because of the altitude. Your lungs will notice, and so will your skin. Thinner air can make the sun’s UV index higher, and the thinner air can make your skin dry out too.

Why Your Skin Misbehaves When You Travel

So we’ve talked about all the environmental factors that are different when you travel, but why is your skin so sensitive to them?

Part of the problem is just that all the particles in the air and in the water, and the different qualities of the air, everything that’s not what your skin is used to, will inevitably touch your skin. There are ways to lower the impact, like using products that strengthen your skin barrier and using quality sunscreen. But there will still be particles in the air that are unfamiliar to your skin because they’re not around when you’re at home, and that might cause skin irritation or dryness.

It’s also important to consider that if you’ve put time and effort into crafting a skin care routine for your skin, one that addresses the skin problems you were seeing at home, those same products just won’t work the same when the climate is different.

For example, you might have found the perfect moisturizer that leaves your skin feeling hydrated but not oily or sticky when you’re at home. But if you travel somewhere with lower humidity, that same moisturizer might not be hydrating enough, and you end up with dry skin. In a similar way, your usual sunscreen might not be strong enough for the higher UV index when you’re traveling, or there might be irritants in the air that inflame your skin and cause irritation that you don’t usually see at home, so you don’t have the calming products to counteract it.

With all of that in mind, here are a few tips to help your skin stay looking its best when you travel:

• Bring your usual moisturizer, but depending on where you’re traveling, bring either a richer cream as well or bring a more lightweight moisturizer.
• If you prefer to stick with the moisturizer you love, bring other hydrating products you can add, like a hydrating serum.
• Pack a soothing skin care product or two in case you see more skin inflammation, like a soothing mask.
• Consider skipping exfoliation during your trip, since it can leave your skin more vulnerable to irritation. Or, pack a gentler exfoliant than you normally use, like a chemical exfoliant with PHAs instead of AHAs.
• Be mindful of your sunscreen. Apply it every morning, but also reapply every few hours that you’re in the sun. That goes for your face as well as your body.
• Be especially strict about your skin care routine, including taking off your makeup every night. You don’t need to add anything else that might upset your skin.

And, above all, have a fun trip!