Travel Tips: Skincare Around the World

Jetting off on holiday, or travelling for work? Whatever your reasons for going abroad, it’s always wise to take your skin into consideration when you set off on your journeys.

In this article we take a look at travel skin care and how to protect your skin while travelling.

What Happens to Skin When You Travel?

Although holidays are a time to indulge in some serious rest and relaxation, there’s no denying that the actual process of getting away can be pretty stressful. Airports are cramped and busy, then you’ve got the recycled air you inhale throughout the duration of your flight, and throw in a bout of jet lag and you’d be forgiven for feeling more than a little stressed as you kick off your holiday. And all of these things can have a negative effect on your skin too (1,2). Travelling by plane -  

• Dehydrates your skin
• Can cause sunburn
• Can increase sebum production
• Cause breakouts
• Bring on dark, puffy under-eye bags  

Travel-Friendly Skincare Routine  

Want to give your skin the best chance of looking good while on holiday? It’s time to perfect your skincare travel regime. Wondering what your must-have skincare products for travel should be? We’ll tell you. Of course, how to pack skincare for travel depends on your destination, but assuming you’re starting things off with a flight, this selection of skincare goodies will give your skin a good head start…  

• Refreshing face wipes - swipe away dirt, old makeup, and perk up your skin whilst travelling thanks to a pack of handy facial wipes. They’re great as emergency skin pick-me-ups
• A vitamin C serum - vitamin C helps to fight damage to your skin caused by free radicals, and it also helps boost how well your sunscreen works which is particularly helpful when you’re around 30,000-feet nearer to the sun than you usually are
• A broad spectrum SPF sunscreen - we talk about this a lot but we can’t stress enough how important a decent sunscreen is - even when you’re in an aeroplane. Choose SPF50 for best protection and try a tinted version if you’re keen to give your skin a little coverage.
• Moisturiser - aeroplanes dry out skin and then some. So before you board make sure you apply a good moisturiser to give your skin a helping hand. A water-based moisturiser will help keep your skin quenched. And remember to drink plenty of water throughout your flight  
• Lip balm with added SPF - don’t neglect your lips! Keep them supple on a long-haul flight with a quality lip balm with added SPF for extra protection  

How to Manage Skin Care When Travelling  

When you’re planning a holiday and jetting off to foreign climes it can be hard to figure out how to take care of skin when travelling. And much of your approach to skincare will need to be tailored to your destination. However, if you’ve got your skincare sussed at home, you’re well prepared for keeping it sorted while you’re away. That’s because your skin will have been well looked after and will have been getting everything it needs.  

With MiQuest, you enjoy your own personalised clinically-tested formulations all packed into a super neat and easy skincare regime. MiQuest doesn’t involve endless lotions and potions. It’s just a case of cleansing, moisturising, and applying your SPF in the morning, and then cleansing, moisturising, and applying your Q-Stick in the evening. Even if your bags are fit to bursting with your holiday wardrobe, we’re confident you’ll have enough space to squeeze in your personalised MiQuest products.  

How to Have Good Skin Whilst Travelling  

We all want to look our best for our holiday snaps, so if you’re keen to know how to keep your skin clear while travelling, follow these hints and tips:

• Stick to your usual skincare products - don’t stress out your skin by switching things around
• Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and keep your skin hydrated
• Those skincare freebies you find in your hotel bathroom might look tempting but they won’t be personally formulated for you and could seriously irritate your skin so avoid if possible
• Avoid touching your face - this can easily spread bacteria and cause irritation
• Get plenty of sleep
• Try not to overload on alcohol and sugary foods  

Destination: Heatwave  

Travelling to hotter, sunnier climes is something most of us crave but it can come with its own set of skincare woes. If you’re wondering how to take care of oily skin while travelling, try these tips -  

• Look for mattifying, non-comedogenic products that won’t block your pores
• Carry blotting papers to help soak up excess sebum
• Try adding in either salicylic acid or glycolic acid as these work to exfoliate your skin and get rid of old skin cells. This then means that your pores are kept clearer so the possibility of breakouts is also reduced
• Retinoids help to downsize your sebaceous glands and therefore help ease excessive sebum production. A retinoid can be used safely in summer - just remember to apply in the evening and use a broad spectrum sunscreen during the day  

Destination: The Big Freeze  

Wondering how to prepare skin for travel to colder countries? The good news is that you should keep things as close to your normal routine as possible. It’s the best way to keep skin from getting stressed!  

Keep tight, irritated, and itchy skin off your radar by making sure you keep your skin barrier well protected from the elements. Niacinamide is a huge help when it comes to this. That’s because it boosts ceramide production, tackles uneven pigmentation, and is anti-inflammatory too (3).  

If your skin has become dry and irritated, you may be tempted to try and slough away those dead skin cells with some harsh exfoliation. But be warned - this is the worst thing you could do! Exfoliating your skin in colder climates should be kept to once or twice a week, and don’t mix physical and chemical exfoliation together - it’s just too much for your skin to handle.  

Add in antioxidants (4). We’re talking vitamins E and C, plus our trusty friend niacinamide, and resveratrol too. All of these will help keep your skin protected from pollution, UV rays, and blue light, plus any micro-toxins your skin might be subjected to on a flight.  

How to Have Clear Skin While Travelling  

Whether you’ve got two weeks in the Caribbean, or five nights in Lapland, the aim is the same: to have beautifully clear skin 24/7. Travel can take its toll on the skin, but with the right products and know-how it is possible to keep your skin looking good wherever you are in the world.  

At MiQuest, we know the answer lies in personalised clinically-tested formulations that are used regularly. That’s why a MiQuest subscription makes sense for all. Bespoke to you and your own skincare concerns, MiQuest formulations help transform your skin whatever problems you’re facing.  

By using AI scanning technology, our formulation scientists are able to get to the crux of your skincare needs. MiQuest pinpoints the areas of concern and matches the right active ingredients for the job. Add in our smart drug delivery system (5) and these active ingredients are delivered to your skin in the levels and format needed (slow and paced-out for sensitive skin, or fast and full-burst for normal skin).  

MiQuest delivers a proper skincare regime using prescription-grade ingredients in an easy-to-follow format. With regular check-ins to see how your skin is responding and the ability to switch up ingredients accordingly, MiQuest really is the next generation in personalised skincare management. Discover your best skin with a MiQuest subscription and see the transformation happen.  

References  

1. Herbinger, K.H., Siess, C., Nothdurft, H.D., Von Sonnenburg, F. and Löscher, T., 2011. Skin disorders among travellers returning from tropical and non‐tropical countries consulting a travel medicine clinic. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 16(11), pp.1457-1464.

2. O'Brien, B.M., 2009. A practical approach to common skin problems in returning travellers. Travel medicine and infectious disease, 7(3), pp.125-146.

3. Bierman, J.C., Laughlin, T., Tamura, M., Hulette, B.C., Mack, C.E., Sherrill, J.D., Tan, C.Y., Morenc, M., Bellanger, S. and Oblong, J.E., 2020. Niacinamide mitigates SASP‐related inflammation induced by environmental stressors in human epidermal keratinocytes and skin. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 42(5), pp.501-511.

4. Griffiths, T.W., Watson, R.E. and Langton, A.K., 2023. Skin ageing and topical rejuvenation strategies. British Journal of Dermatology, 189(Supplement_1), pp.i17-i23.

5. Alvarez-Lorenzo, C. and Concheiro, A., 2014. Smart drug delivery systems: from fundamentals to the clinic. Chemical communications, 50(58), pp.7743-7765.