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This is why your skin always breaks out when you travel

This is why your skin always breaks out when you travel


You’ve packed your minis, nailed your capsule wardrobe, and scored the best window seat. But, just as you arrive at your destination and finally feel the stress of travel begin to ease off, a breakout appears. Below, we examine what actually causes skin to react when we travel, and whether there’s anything we can do to prevent it.

How does flying impact our skin?

Our skin hates surprises. One minute it’s used to your home routine, the next it’s being hit with blasts of air conditioning, dodgy water, climate swings, less sleep, more stress and whatever you ate at the airport. In other words, all those changes confuse your skin’s natural balance. Sometimes it dries out, sometimes it floods with oil. Either way, the result is the same: unwelcome breakouts.

Angela Taylor, Elemis global director of education, explains: “Air travel dehydrates the skin due to the dry, recycled air in the cabin. When your skin loses moisture, it often compensates by producing more oil, which can clog pores and lead to breakouts.” Add in a few in-flight wines and a late-night room service pizza, and your skin is primed for pimples.

It’s also about exposure. New climates, plane blankets, and even the constant hand-to-face contact of dragging luggage, touching screens, or applying make-up on the go introduce bacteria your skin isn’t used to. “Frequent hand-to-face contact can transfer bacteria, increasing the chance of clogged pores,” says founder of The Glow Clinic and aesthetics educator, Dr Jennifer Owens. In short, your immune system is busy keeping you upright through jet lag, so your skin barrier takes the hit.

This is why your skin always breaks out when you travel

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How does going on holiday impact our skin?

Travel isn’t just dehydrating either; it’s also destabilising. “There are several reasons why skin can break out during travel,” says Dr Owens. “The biggest factor is the disruption of your usual routine – from diet and skincare habits to sleep patterns. Poor or irregular sleep impacts hormone balance and stress levels, both of which influence acne development.”

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