Simple Hacks You Need To Know To Protect Your Skin On Plane
A recent study by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that most Americans are not wearing sunscreen on their face or body on a daily basis. The study also shows that most of the study sample has sun damage to their skin even before the age of 35. Considering how easy it is to apply sunscreen and how much it can protect your skin from damage, it should naturally be part of our daily routine.
Especially when we are traveling our skin comes across all kinds of pollutants and elements that can harm our skin. Damaging rays of the sun are one such aspect that is unavoidable, but how do we protect our skin from the harmful rays when we are on the plane?
Especially if you are a window seat person, then you may not be aware of how much damage the sun may be causing to your beautiful skin.
In this blog, we will explore how you can protect your skin from the sun while on a flight.
Does The Sun Affect Our Skin On A Plane?
Short Answer: Yes, it certainly does.
Long Answer: We generally think of damage due to the sun happening because of long exposure and hot climate. But there is another reason that also causes great damage to your skin, and it is the height. The closer you are to the sun the easier it is for your skin to get hit by the harmful UV rays. Also, the small cabin of a plane is not only reflective, but it also doesn’t have much ventilation.
Studies suggest that for every 1,000 meters, there is a 10% increase in UV rays.
A study conducted by JAMA Dermatology suggested that flying at 30,000 feet for an hour is like sitting on a tanning bed for 20 minutes. Further, we know that these Ultraviolet rays are of 3 types: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. While you may be protected to a good degree from the UV-B rays due to the shades on the windows, there is still a great deal of UV-A exposure that you must be ready to face on a plane. And even though these UV-A rays may not be the most harmful when compared to UV-B rays, the constant and more potent exposure to them at a high altitude can certainly result in some serious damage. Especially, if you are a frequent traveler, then you must protect your skin from the UV rays.
How To Protect Your Skin While Flying
Let’s learn some of the ways you can protect your skin from damage while you’re in an airplane.
Always Wearing Sunscreen While On A Plane
Sunscreen is something that everyone should be wearing every time they go outside. But that’s a lot easier said than done. What if it’s not sunny? What if it’s way too sticky to wear? There are a lot of reasons why people don’t wear sunscreen. Similarly, people don’t wear sunscreen on an airplane, assuming that they are “indoors”. But we now understand that harmful UV rays can get through the windows and cause a lot of damage to the skin. So remember to wear sunscreen whenever you’re on an airplane!
Maybe Aisle Seat Can Protect Your Skin
While it may not seem like much but if you travel frequently via flights, then it’s best for you to pick an aisle seat. You can still get affected by the UV rays while in the aisle seat since the air cabins are quite reflective. But remember, even little steps go a long way when protecting your skin.
Window Shade Can Keep The UV Rays Out?
Don’t we all just love the window seats? The views are just perfect and the photos look too good!
But we know for certain that that’s the position that may be highly susceptible to UV rays. Hence, putting down the shade seems to be one of the most obvious options when you are in the window seat. But we know that even if you did cover yours since the shade is made of plastic, it can only do so much. Only metals have the ability to completely reflect the UV rays. And not to forget the windows in the front and back!
The shade may not protect your skin completely, but it is still a great hack to protect you from UV rays.
In-Flight Masks
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we now are quite used to wearing masks on our faces. But we can do it even better!
The country of South Korea is truly a modern pioneer when it comes to skincare. There are a ton of skincare routines and products created and mastered by them. One of the recent trends they have invented is to wear hydrating sheet masks in flight. Especially if you’re a frequent traveler it can be hard to find time to hydrate your skin. So if you’re on a flight, a sheet mask can not just rejuvenate your skin but can also prevent you from the sun and the dust on the plane.
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
Hydrating sheet masks are fantastic, but they are still not a substitute for drinking ample amounts of water. In one of our previous blogs, we discussed how crucial hydrating can be for your skin. But especially when you are at a very high altitude, surrounded by UV rays, and sitting in an artificially created atmosphere, it becomes even more important to drink water.
Travelling can also be quite hectic at times so it is always advisable to carry a good-sized bottle of water at all times.
Pro-tip: If you want to completely avoid UV rays inside the plane, it is best to avoid travel from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Final Words
It may still sound a little counterintuitive to wear sunscreen on a plane but the research is pretty solid on this. If you care about your beautiful skin, we would highly advise you to wear it on a plane always.
And if you love your skin, even more, call us and book your appointment for the wide range of beauty services we offer.
Call Now: 203 656 4440
Looking forward to seeing you!
