With countless celebrities sharing not only barefaced selfies from flights, but complete in-air skincare routines– sheet masks and all, the skin-savvy are all of the idea that flying in make-up is not a good one. But does it really have such troubling effects on our complexions?
Revered cosmetic doctor and one of London’s favourite face-fixers, Dr Frances Prenna Jones tells Bazaar, 'It is not 100% the make-up that is the problem… it is more the combination of factors that occur when we get on an aeroplane.'
She explains, 'The change in atmospheric pressure and the air conditioning effect our toll receptors within our sebaceous glands that dictate the amount of secretions we do or do not produce.' This means we lose moisture from the skin – hence the dehydration we all feel on flights.
'Our skin is then dry and so we naturally apply moisture on top,' Dr Prenna Jones notes. 'This, plus the make-up that often has a heavy talc-like content, then blocks our sebaceous glands, increasing the probability of a breakout.' So, in an attempt to quench our thirsty skin, we could be in-turn causing congestion – thanks to the make-up.
Add the consumption of salty food and alcohol into the mix, which leaves our skin even more parched, plus the potential of sleeping in our make-up, and you’ve got a recipe for clogged pores, enhanced lines and increased risk of irritation.
So, should we all fill our hand luggage with skin mists and sheet masks?
'My recommendations are that if we wear make-up to get on the plane, we should wash our faces as soon as possible once on, and apply a product containing hyaluronic acid that can be rehydrated with a face mist and anti-pollutant to keep hydration up during the flight,' the doctor says.
Naturally, she recommends her own products (which, by the way, are celebrated for their effectiveness), such as Enhance, a cream with hyaluronic acid filling spheres to plump and smooth, and Refresh 24/7, an antioxidant-rich spritz that delivers a hit of hydration.
When it comes to our thirst for gin and tonic? 'Drink at least four glasses of water for every cheeky glass of alcohol,' she adds, 'twice what I would recommend on the ground.' Done.
