Long Hours on a Flight? Get Your Skin Back on Track with These Sneaky Tips I Use

I love taking trips ... in fact, I thrive on them. There are so many experiences to be had when you're in a different place. And the fact that I can hop on an airplane, and hours later, arrive in a whole different country still blows my mind.

That's why I hate to complain about the toll that riding an airplane takes on my skin -- it dries it out and exposes it to even more UV rays than usual (fact: the rate of malignant melanoma -- the worst form of skin cancer -- among flight attendants is two times higher than average according to the Association of Flight Attendants, scary).

So to keep my skin in balance (as much as I can anyway), I have a little pre-boarding, during, and post-flight beauty routine. If you're taking off soon, you might want to follow my regimen:

Pre-boarding:

Remove makeup: All you really want on your skin is protection and moisture (unless you're taking a short flight to a meeting or event) because the recycled air on a flight dries your skin out. If you must wear a little makeup, use a bronzer that contains SPF like Jouer Replenish and Protect Hydrating Bronzer SPF 39, $28, swipe on mascara and dab on some lip gloss.

Protect: Sun exposure is greater in the air (especially if people have their window shades open) because you're closer to the sun and there's less ozone layer protection. So apply SPF on your face and any exposed body parts (try Peter Thomas Roth Max All Day Moisture Defense Cream $42 -- it moisturizes too).

Drink water: Since you're bound to get dehydrated (and your skin will too), drink as much water as you can before, during, and after your flight.

During:

Re-apply: If my flight is longer than three hours, I keep extra face moisturizer, eye cream and SPF with me, then re-apply all three mid-flight. If you're not as neurotic as I am, you can simply bring a light moisturizer that contains SPF. 


Wear sunglasses: This might sound crazy (especially if you're not on a flight back from Vegas), but you want to protect the skin around your eyes from UV rays ... at least when the window shades are up.

After:

Exfoliate: Once you land, take the time to exfoliate your face to get all the grime off from the flight. Plus, it will help your next step -- moisturizer -- absorb better.

Moisturize: Apply a heavy-duty moisturizer. Or if you have more time, use a moisturizing treatment like Rodial Glam Balm $80, leave on for 5 - 10 minutes, rinse, then apply moisturizer.