While a holiday is a time for relaxation and recuperation, it can also be a trigger for illness and health problems due to sudden changes in climate and diet, as well as increased levels of stress and dehydration from travelling. It’s difficult to stay healthy and fit when travelling but it’s important to stay healthy on holiday.

 

How To Stay Healthy on Holiday with Our Guide

 

Here are some common summer holiday ailments and how you can try and avoid them to stay healthy on holiday this year. 

 

Mosquito bites

 

Great red swollen blotches all over your newly exposed body is not what you want as you hit the beach. Most bites take about a week to clear up so that will mean you are covered in red spots for the duration of your holiday.

 

How to Avoid Mosquito Bites: 

 

By taking vitamin B12 up to two weeks before you leave for your holiday you can change the taste of your blood which makes it repellent to mosquitoes. A tincture of Lemon Balm rubbed onto the skin has also been found in trials to help prevent mosquito bites.

 

Cold sores

 

Cold sore outbreaks are more likely to happen on holiday as sun is a trigger for them. Add to that the stress of the flights and a few late nights and it’s a perfect environment for a cold sore attack. 

 

Cold Sore Prevention: 

 

Skin Shops LipQ Liquorice Balm helps reduce the occurrence of cold sores and has been found to have the ability to damage and in some cases destroy the cold sore virus that lies dormant in the skin between outbreaks. Start using the Liquorice Balm daily up to two weeks before you leave for best results. 

 

Eczema

 

Increased heat and sweating gives rise to heat rashes and skin conditions such as eczema. 

 

Eczema Prevention:

 

A natural soothing cooling gel made from Cardiospermum (a plant extract taken from the balloon vine) such as Skin Shops Hydrosil Turmeric Butter & Hypoallergenic Milk Salve is ideal for calming irritating heat trigger skin conditions. In a UK trial it was found to be as effective for some people than steroids in the treatment of eczema.

 

Diarrhoea

 

You are more likely to get a stomach bug on holiday than any other time.

 

How to Prevent Diarrhoea on Holiday:

 

Lactobacillus Acidophilus is a type of friendly bacteria that you can take up to two weeks before your holiday to help strengthen your intestine in preparation for foreign food.

 

Hay Fever

 

Going on holiday can also trigger an attack as high pollen seasons in foreign countries differ from those in the UK – it is now ranked as the sixth most prevalent persistent condition in major developed countries.

 

Hay Fever Prevention Methods:

 

Research published in the British Medical Journal found that a natural extract called Petasin, taken from a common European shrub known as Butterbur, is as effective as common antihistamines for treating Hay Fever. Histamines and leukotrienes (substances produced in allergic reactions) play an important pathobiological role in hayfever, triggering all the common symptoms. The butterbur extract Petasites Hybridus has been shown to block the synthesis of these chemicals and therefore reduce symptoms typical of hayfever.

 

Sun Damage

 

Sun exposure damages skin inside and out. First it attacks the epidermis, the thin, outermost tier of skin, forming a layer of dead cells that can give skin a leathery appearance. It progressively damages the upper layers of the dermis, or the bulk of the skin, leaving it thinner, less resilient and more susceptible to wrinkling. Over time, the collagen and elastin fibers that form the dermis also break down, causing gradual drooping and sagging.

 

SunBurn Prevention: 

 

Sun creams are a necessary evil on holiday as they are needed to protect skin from UV damage, but are often very irritating for sensitive skin. Only choose sun creams that are suitable for sensitive skin, but be aware that many sun creams can become more ‘reactive’ when in direct sunlight or when the surface of the skin heats up.

Sun creams are also greasier than normal face creams and pores can be blocked quickly leading to acne breakouts. Zinc, which is a natural sun block, can actually be beneficial for acne, so try and seek our sun creams that contain natural zinc oxide blocks if your skin is prone to acne. Try Skin Shop’s Clarol Silver Serum under a zinc based sunblock for skin prone to acne. 

 

Cystitis

 

One in five women get UTI cystitis and it's more likely on holiday than any other time due to dehydration of the flight and increased heat.

 

Cystitis Prevention:

 

Take cranberry supplements up to two weeks before your holiday. Drinking a litre of water a couple of hours before your flight and during the flight itself can help prevent an attack of cystitis.

 

Dry Scalp

 

According to London trichologist Tony Maleedy people are more likely to suffer from a dry scalp and subsequent heavy dandruff while on a summer holiday than at any other time of the year, and having your holiday social life ruined by an attack of chronic dandruff is best avoided.

 

Dry Scalp Prevention: 

 

A shampoo, formulated by Tony Maleedy and tested at Bath University, has been made specifically to help people with dry scalps contain three ingredients designed to cleanse the scalp and clear skin flakes without causing additional drying to the scalp by antifungal agents. Skin Shops Hydrosil Dry Scalp Shampoo will also address any dry scalp issues.

 

Final Thoughts From Us...

 

By following our guide you'll hopefully be able stay healthy and fit on holiday. Happy Holiday's!

 

For more information and skincare advice, check out more of your blogs here.