The Long Flights, Bio-Rhythms and Skin Aging

Skin aging depends on many factors, but some situations can simply accelerate it and cause greater damage if not handled wisely.

Everybody knows that exposing our skin to dry air on the airplane is not good. Jet lag, something many of us suffer from after long flights is a temporary sleep disorder. 

The reason for this is that our internal clock, the Circadian Rhythm, becomes unbalanced.  This causes serious stress to the body, as with any stress factor, it may accelerate the skin aging process.

Collagen synthesis in the epidermis does have its own clock - skin stem cell creates new cells late at night or early morning. For it to be successful the body requires undisturbed peaceful sleep. That is why the skin looks better in the mornings after we've had a good night's sleep.  Conversely, the skin will appear worse when we've slept poorly.

That is why it is so important to maintain healthy bio-rhythms to prevent skin aging process.

Skin hydration also has its own rhythm - the water loss is minimal in the morning, but increases during the day.

For good looking skin that boasts luminosity and perfect tone, we need to maintain high water content and low oil secretion to arhieve skin aging prevention.

During long flights, especially overnight ones, there are many stress factors that prevent normal skin function. On top of this is jet lag which messes up our internal clock and basically shuts down skin cell restoration.

German company Rahn, a well known cosmetic ingredients provider, came up with its new cosmetic ingredient, CELLIGENT®, that reduces skin aging signs and stress due to jet lag.

It consists of 3 powerful ingredients:

ethyl ferulate - the ester of a ferulic acid, which is antioxidant and has the ability to boost other antioxidants. It is found naturally in oats, brown rice, whole wheat, pineapples, and peanuts.

carnosolyc acid (presented in sage and rosemary extracts) - the powerful antioxidant

uridine monophosphate - used in the body to increase the synthesis of cellular membranes.

Rahn team claims that the combination of those active ingredients will help to recalibrate the internal clock and restore the normal skin cycle, thus preventing aging and maintaining the cell's restoration process.

We are always looking forward to the newest skincare product to hit the market, but in the meantime, make sure that when you do travel that you are prepared to reduce stress, thus, reducing and preventing skin aging.

Look for the products that contain the ingredients above.

During long flights ensure that you stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoid caffeinated drinks and alcohol as these dehydrate the body. Choose a low-calorie diet rather than eating all 3 flight meals, to prevent water retention (water retention means swelling which is not healthy and not equal to the hydration).

To easy neck tension and circulation deficiencies, use a travel neck support that helps maintain proper neck positioning during the entire flight.