The one skin care product you should always wear on a flight
Living in one of the sunniest places on Earth, the use of sunscreen has been drilled into us for decades and decades. In fact, it’s so ingrained in our culture that most of us don’t dare step out of the house on a fine day without a little UV protection.
But there’s one circumstance where we’re failing miserably when it comes to sunscreen – in the air. Yep, “slip, slop, slap” still applies at 35,000 feet – even more so than on terra firma, in fact.
“Pilots are at higher risk of skin cancer and sun-induced damage as they sit in bright light,” Dr Sweta Rai from the British Association of Dermatologists told The Sun. “The windows they sit at when piloting the plane are huge and as a result they wear sunscreen as standard.”
So it’s common knowledge for pilots (after all, they’re exposed to the sun the longest out of anyone on board), but what about the rest of us?
“Passengers on flights should take heed and do the same,” Dr Rai recommends.
“The window next to you on a plane may be small, but you’re closer to the ozone layer on a flight by tens of thousands of feet. The sun’s rays are much more harmful at this level and we should all be wearing sun scream when flying.”
Dr Rai recommends using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 prior to boarding and reapplying every two hours – especially on long-haul flights.
“You want a thin film on your face, neck, chest – whatever is exposed,” she explains. “The clothes you wear don’t always give you full sun protection.”
Tell us in the comments below, did you ever think to wear sunscreen on flights? Do you think you’ll start doing it in the future?