Everyone seems to have some sort of in-flight skincare regimen these days, which depending on the person, could be an elaborate ritual from take-off to landing or a quick and dirty routine. But what does your skin actually need when it’s thousands of feet above the ground? 100 ML tapped Dr. Dendy Engelman, a New York-based celebrity dermatologist who also happens to fly a lot for her job, to find out the real deal with in-fight skincare and the habits you should adopt or toss out the window. (FYI, it was her seventh weekend in a row on a plane when we chatted).
How does being on a plane affect your skin?
There are a lot of changes that occur. The humidity is much lower on a plane. So when they say don’t drink alcohol and have adequate water, it’s dehydrating from a total body perspective and with skin as well. It’s an inherently dry situation [on a plane] and we want to be mindful of that. I’ve seen the humidity go as low as 20 per cent. I like gel masks to prevent transepidermal water loss. I don’t love face mists because you’re wetting the skin and then it’s going to transfer into the more arid environment, which is the air. You can mist and then sheet mask, or mist and then put on a cream to seal it in, but if you’re just misting, maybe it feels good and looks cool, but you’re just wasting product.
The other thing people complain about is about their skin breaking out. Everyone wants to make it that it’s because it’s dirty on a plane. I’m not saying it’s the cleanest place, but it’s not like you’re in a cesspool of bacteria that’s making your skin break out. I think that the stress of travel doesn’t help if you’re already acne-prone. I can’t really link it just to being physically in a plane.
How important is SPF on a plane?
It’s critical, especially if you’re a window seat lover like me. I immediately drop the shade as soon as I’m allowed. The reality is, even with cars windows, it only filters out the UVB, which is what burns you. That’s how you make the link that you need to protect. It’s UVA, which is aging. It’s also oncogenic so it’s the one that causes cancer. We’re closer to the sun by 30,000 feet and so we need to make sure we’re protected, especially if we’re on a plane every week.
Hydration on a flight: what’s the difference between the physical act of drinking water versus what you’re doing topically for your skin?
There’s often a misconception where people will say, ‘I don’t know why my skin is dry. I drink eight gallons of water!’ Total body water content does not correlate with skin hydration. It’s more of a correlation with the amount of sebaceous glands in the skin. People who drink zero water and have oily skin aren’t going to be very dehydrated. You can drink plenty of water and your skin can still be dry. To that end, we need to take an additional step of specifically addressing skin dryness.
Are you sticking to the same routine on the plane as you are on the ground or do you bump up your hydration?
If it’s summer and you’ve switched to a gel-based hyaluronic serum because that’s all you need while you’re on the ground, you might need to up it to the cream when you’re flying.
Some of our things are so dear that you’re probably going to make travel-size for yourself because you never want to risk them being taken. I like this pill carrier. It’s a perfect travel thing. Usually, the biggest thing I pack is beauty. I care about what I wear but I want to make sure I have my stuff and it becomes so cumbersome. Literally I can fit it in my purse.
Why does skin tend to freak out when you travel?
Change in climate, change in humidity, stress of flying, getting to the airport, going through TSA—it’s not fun anymore. Even last weekend, I was in Newport trying to get to LAX and someone was going the wrong way. I thought I was going to miss my flight. Those spikes of cortisol—we know stress will increase breakouts.
What’s your advice for placating your skin when it throws a temper tantrum?
The best thing you can do is to love your skin. It’s like a toddler that is misbehaving but really just needs a hug. And then it’s a mess and it takes way longer to correct all that damage than if you just left it alone. Use a spot treatment, don’t pick, don’t get angry at it, give it some love, calm it down and use a sheet mask at your hotel.
What products do you recommend that people keep close in their carry-on or reach for when they travel?
[Face] wipes are always good. I’m not one who goes on a plane with a bare face. I travel all the time and don’t break out when I go on a plane, but I’m not acne-prone. It’s good to keep your hands clean. We passively transfer a lot to our skin, whether we’re fiddling with our earbuds or whatever we’re doing.
There’s this Anti-Oxidant Hydration Gel Masque by Derm Institute. They look like hydration packets you put in water bottles. I don’t use sheet masks, but I will use that. It boosts hydration and has antioxidants. I use that as a sleep mask too. You come off that flight and your skin looks awesome. It’s so great for travel.
I love the Ceramide Capsules by Elizabeth Arden. One of the Arden girls taught me this. She just keeps them by her desk and even during the day, especially in the winter, she’ll press them on over her makeup. It helps prevent transepidermal loss, keep your skin hydrated, look glowy, but you don’t have to take your makeup off.
What type of products are good to travel with?
An antioxidant, hyaluronic acid and sunscreen. I wouldn’t put on retinol just before a flight, especially if you’re sitting by the window because it can increase your sun sensitivity. I will use a capsule or a gel mask for any flight over two hours.
Some people do a full in-flight skincare ritual and some people don’t touch their face. Is there right way or wrong way?
[Whatever] makes them happy. Do I think it’s truly necessary? No. But if that’s part of their ritual and makes them feel like they’ll come off looking better and be better at their meeting that they run right into, awesome. That’s what I like about beauty. If it’s not hurting you and it makes you feel like a more powerful human, do it! Do it the whole flight! But is it critical? Do I feel like people’s faces will fall off and look horrible if they don’t do in-flight stuff? No. The vast majority of people don’t.
