Is Your Skin Freaking Out After Thanksgiving? Fix It, Fast

by Elizabeth Siegel


Getty Images
Getty Images

An odd thing happened over the Thanksgiving holiday: I flew to Chicago for a five-day trip, and my skin totally changed while I was there. A few days into my vacation, and it was a little dryer, a little duller, and prone to breakouts. And now that I'm back home in New York City, it hasn't miraculously improved like I'd really, really been hoping it would. "That's common around the holidays," says Francesca Fusco, a dermatologist in New York City.


And it's common for a lot of reasons. "Flying, drinking alcohol, eating salty and sugary foods, and even washing your face with hard tap water can make your skin dryer and inflamed, which means it's also more prone to breakouts," she explains. "And dry skin looks generally older, because it gets duller and fine lines become more noticeable." Yikes. Before you get mad at your family for living out of town, here's how to get your skin back on track:

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Detox a little. I'm not talking about a full-on juice cleanse. "Drinking lots and lots of green tea is great for rehabbing your skin, because it's anti-inflammatory," says Fusco. "It'll counteract the effects of sugary foods you ate, by calming inflammation they can cause." If that sounds like a lot of caffeine, "Emergen-C is another option," says Fusco. "It contains electrolytes to hydrate your skin better than water alone." Speaking of, the next time you have a big (salty, dessert-filled, delicious) meal, "try drinking more water than you usually would for 48 to 72 hours after," says Fusco. "It'll dilute the sugar and salt in your system, so your skin won't react so strongly."

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Spot-treat pimples two ways. If you're lucky enough to break out while you travel, like me, use a spot treatment with two-percent salicylic acid (try Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment) at night until the pimple subsides and tap on an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream once a day. "It's anti-inflammatory, so it'll help shrink the pimple even faster, and help prevent it from leaving redness or brown spots behind," says Fusco.

Switch your skin care routine. If travel-induced dryness or breakouts are your main concern, "hold off on exfoliating and using harsh anti-agers like retinoids when your skin it temperamental," says Fusco. "You're better off using a hydrating mask. Leave it on for five to ten minutes before putting on your usual moisturizer, and you'll notice a difference right away." Try Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask.

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