High and dry: five ways flying wreaks havoc on your skin

Travelling at 30,000 feet can be seriously drying - which is why there is a growing trend on social media for people showing off elaborate, multi-step skincare routines to keep their skin as moisturised as possible.

- By Prudence Wade

But what happens to your skin during a flight? And what should your skincare routine look like?

What happens to skin on a plane?

Dry skin is down to the humidity inside a plane.

“In a normal environment, we have about 40 to 60% of humidity, whereas in a cabin you have about 10 to 20% - which is quite low,” explains Dr Azadeh Manesh, doctor at Waldor Clinic.

“So there's an increased level of transepidermal water loss, where the skin loses a huge amount of water, resulting in skin tightness, dehydration and a dull and flat complexion to the skin," she says.

This is more of an issue during a long-haul trip rather than short-haul - which is why Dr Bernard Ho, consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the Skin Health Alliance, suggests “a bit of in-flight treatment”.

What to do before boarding