TRAVEL SKINCARE
Skin care on the go is easy when you have a few basics in place. Dr Yadav, Medical Director, Juverne tells you how to best care for skin when traveling. Some of these comments recently featured in Travel Smart magazine.
Dr Yadav says:
I always have a pouch of essential products - in sample or mini sizes in my handbag. This would always consist of a micellar water (to double up as make up remover and cleanser, needs no rinsing), tinted blemish cream with a bit of silicone for matting oily skin and sunscreen (reapply a teaspoonful worth every few hours on the face and neck).
When traveling, I would add a small pot of hyaluronic acid based moisturizer which I keep using every two hours. Travel, especially air travel, dehydrates and clogs skin. Thus constant hydration is a must. Other travel essentials are hand sanitizer and wipes (prefer non perfumed baby wipes for gentleness), mascara, lipstick & an antibiotic/steroid combination (for bug bites, hives or allergic reactions).
My Suggestions For You:
1. Moisturize and drink water.
2. Repeat sunscreen every two to four hours, irrespective of the weather/time of day. Photo-damage comes from many sources including UV radiation from gadgets and indoor lighting; sunlight filtered through windows.
3. Be sure to only carry mini packs under 200 ml - in plastic zip lock bags. Some people have tried mixing products in one pot. That's a terrible idea as various formulae can react and render the medication useless, or even harmful.
4. Micellar Water is well tolerated and accessible. It can be used to cleanse skin and remove make up on the go even without rinsing off.
5. Sunscreen: As long as one uses a teaspoonful of a sunscreen for the face and neck, every 2-3 hours one is usually protected well. This is imperative irrespective of weather given that indoor lighting and gadgets cause photodamage too. You may pick any credible brand with a formulation suited to your skin type, SPF 30+.
6. Thermal Spring Water Mist: Frequent usage soothes sensitive skin, impending sun burns and hydrates.
7. Hats, sunglasses, scarves for coverage
8. Do not attempt to mix various products in a pot for easy of carriage - the products can get denatured to useless or dangerous substances! (I had a patient try this once.)
9. Sunscreen on kids aged six months over. Sunscreen on lips and hands and feet.
10. Sip water and coconut water. Limit coffee intake to one or two cups, it dehydrates your skin.
11. Carry hand sanitizer but moisturize after use.
Safe Travels!
