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Whether you’re visiting someone, going for a meeting or taking a vacation, long haul flights can be pretty exhausting for both your body and skin.

While the cramped seats cause aches all over, the cabin pressure and the air in-flight can wreak havoc on your skin.

When we sit in those cabins with high pressure, the air that is recirculated is very low in humidity, leading to dryness.

Along with this, the oxygen circulation to our skin is reduced and the stress hormone cortisol levels are high – reducing skin barrier function and causing skin inflammation, redness and breakouts.

The word is that just using moisturiser and a lip balm (along with plenty of water) is not going to cut it. Your skin needs all the extra help it can get while it gasps for fresh air.

Exactly why here we have an extensive skin care routine that you should consider adopting while taking that 12 hour journey.

1. Remove all makeup

Try not to fly with a full face of makeup on, remove it with ideally an oil cleaner so as to nourish at the same time as deep cleansing.

You can even use micellar water if you don't wish to wash your face in the bathroom. Foundations and powders dry out in the cabin air, causing the makeup to become flaky — leading to acne.

2. Hydrate your skin 

Next you need to bring back the much needed moisture that your skin will be losing/has lost. Hydrate your skin by applying a sheet mask.

Use something that's made with soothing hydrating amino acids and hyaluronic acid, to help your skin stay moist in the stuffy airplane air.

3. Apply serum 

Apply an antioxidant serum to protect your skin from nasty free radical damage. Recycled cabin air has very little oxygen and dehydrates, depletes and devitalises your skin. To seal in all the moisture, end by applying a few drops of a nourishing oil.

4. Lip balm 

And finally show some love to your lips. The skin on our lips is fairly sensitive, hence making them prone to chapping. Make sure to lather it on nicely, something like vaseline would work very well.

5. Drink water 

Drinking carbonated and sugary drinks in a pressurised cabin will cause to bloat and expand. Drink plenty of water to combat this and to of course help your skin. You can even request for herbal teas if drinking plain water starts getting boring.

So there you have it, 5 tips to help your skin stay healthy while you cruise through the air.

If you manage to follow these steps, along with getting a few good hours of sleep, you’ll definitely be touching down with glowing and happy skin. If you have any tips of your own, don't forget to share them in the comments below.