Why Your Skin Gets Better On Vacation

Do you notice that your skin condition such as eczema, topical steroid withdrawal (TSW), psoriasis, rosacea, or other form of dermatitis gets better when you go on vacation? Let’s look into the possible factors contributing to this!

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SUNLIGHT

Sunlight provides many benefits to your skin. Most vacations you go on will likely be to somewhere nice and warm, right? Sunlight contains a wide range of wavelengths of light, including those wavelengths that are considered UV light and red light. Artificial light therapies such as UV light therapy or red light therapy have shown positive results when it comes to treating eczema and TSW. This is due to their ability to regulate an abnormally functioning immune system, which is often a root cause of many inflammatory skin conditions. Furthermore, sunlight allows the body to produce vitamin D, which has been shown to be beneficial to the skin, especially for those who are vitamin D deficient.

Humidity

Humidity is basically the amount of moisture in the air. Higher humidity means more moisture in the air while lower humidity means the air is dryer. Dry air may dry out the skin. If you live somewhere where the air is dry but then you go on vacation somewhere to where the air is more humid, your skin may improve. If you think dry air may be contributing to your skin issues, consider investing in a humidifier when you get back from your vacation.

Water

The amount of minerals in the water that you bathe with may be affecting your skin. The amount of minerals in your tap water differs depending on where you live. Water that has a lot of minerals in it is considered hard water whereas water with less minerals is considered soft water. Studies seem to show that people with skin issues such as eczema seem to do worse with hard water as the high amount of minerals in the water can irritate our sensitive skin. If your home has hard water but then you go on vacation to somewhere with soft water, you may notice your skin improve. I recommend that you look up the water hardness in your city. For example, I live in Toronto where the tap water is considered quite hard. It is possible that installing a water softener into your home will greatly improve your skin and maybe even heal your skin condition for good.

Stress Reduction

Stress may aggravate your immune system, resulting in flare ups! When you go on vacation, you are likely to be less stressed and so your body can actually relax and your skin will be less likely to flare because your immune system is not going crazy due to stress. So next time you go on vacation, allow yourself to go on FULL relaxation mode! You’ve deserved this vacation so don’t let the little things stress you out.

DIET

It is possible that when you go on vacation, your entire diet changes. If you notice that your skin gets better with this change in diet, you may be dealing with some sort of food sensitivities. If this is the case, try to determine what foods you may be sensitive to when you get back from your vacation. What foods did you not eat at all during your trip?

Physical activity

When you are on vacation you are probably moving around a lot right? Maybe you’re doing a lot of walking, checking out the markets, going to attractions here and there, and getting tons of steps in. If you are moving your body a lot, you are really flushing out your lymphatic system. This allows your body to bring nutrients to your skin and remove waste products, ultimately resulting in regulation of your immune system. Here at Fighting Eczema we recommend all of our clients get 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Exercise everyday for best results!

Reduced Exposure to Allergens

When you are on vacation you may be reducing your exposure to allergens that are causing your skin to flare up. Everyone is sensitive to different things and you will need to do some detective work to determine what exactly your allergens are. Is it dust? Is it a pet? Is it mould? Is it certain skincare products? Is it your city’s water? Is it the everyday foods you are eating? Take the time to really try to figure out what your allergens are so you can stay away from them.