BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey All:

So, being a Florida native, I am acquainted with balmy, hot weather. I moved to San Francisco a few years ago, and enjoyed a big improvement with my skin...It was clear with no effort!

I find long-term stays in hot, humid climates make my oil glands over productive and this coupled with needing to wear full clothing ( temples in Thailand) will make my skin out of control.

I am nervous about this...Does anyone have any advice or does this happen to you?

I want to figure out the best way to prevent major breakouts if possible...

I had a bit of an acne problem a few years back. It's pretty much gone now though. I found being in warm environments generally helped my skin, wheras cold, dry environments generally caused excess oil to be produced.

Get the very lightest and loose fitting clothing you can, even air cell type stuff that allows free flowing of air.

Drink water copiously and did you ever experiment in Florida to find some foods worse than others and know which ones to avoid?

Your skin will prob not look its best b/c you will be traveling, not eating the best, not sleeping enough, etc. My skin was at its best it had ever been before I left to travel, and due to changes in climate, regiment, and not bringing my dermatologist prescribed skin lotion, I had pretty scary skin. So just avoid mirrors while you are gone, and wheen you get back to SF, get a facial. In fact, having one scheduled for the day after you get back could be nice.

I have a similiar problem. I'm currently in Laos and the weather is very humid. I'm washing my face 2-3 times a day and drinking as much water as I can. So far no breakouts. In fact, I would say my skin has improved.

I had a totally opposite experience of Cherie, so you never know!! My skin is always a lot better when I travel b/c I drink HEAPS of water, eat better than at home (I can't afford junk food on the road!), wore less makeup, always wore sunblock etc. Drinking water is a major player in skin care, I've discovered.

My suggestion would be two products, one a good, strong, toner - pick the right one for your skin, but I've found it to be the wonder product, and you can use it beyond your face. The second being a good wash, if you don't want to fuss with messy liquid face washes, you can try those face wash wipes, or try these: Clean and Clear Dissolving Cleansing Sheets. A little expensive, but I brought one pack, used soap daily and then these once every couple of days. Worked like a charm.

If you're into taking bar soap with you, and are having a problem with body acne as well, I suggest an anti-bacterial soap, it might make you break out a bit at first, but then your skin should look really nice

Also, make sure you get an oil-free sunblock, and maybe get some of those oil-absorbing sheets, another good product to travel with because it won't spill or take up a lot of room.

will you be on doxycycline as your antimalarial? it's an antibiotic so it helps with the whole clear skin thing. also, you actually don't need to be completely covered up when you're visiting the temples in thailand (at least, the ones i went to)-- you just have ot make sure your shoulders aren't exposed. meaning, you could carry a sarong around in your bag and just wrap it around your shoulders when you're about to step into a temple. some of the larger temples even have some to rent!

kewl guys, thanks for the advice:

My skin is so weird..Honestly in Florida during college, my skin was perfect sometimes, and sometimes it was just CRAAAAZY. It's been pretty cool in SF, and I'm not on any meds, but yes I will be taking doxy for malaria-thats great that it helps with skin--

Have you guys found that its easy to find anti-acne stuff ( like the toner and face sheets you mention) overseas? I will be going for an extended period--

Yup, it should be easy to find anti-acne stuff in SE Asia. Obviously I'm thinking of bigger towns, and towns that have a lot of tourist flow. Check with the local pharmacies. We do get international brands here. There are tons of stuff here. Us Asians too have acne problems. :/ Combination of the weather and recent love for fast food methinks.

I find that exfolliating helps a lot. I use clinique 7-day scrub, and thats the only face stuff I take with me, but it works great, cause i can use it every day, and my skin doesn't get irritated like it does with many exfolliants. But get the jar, not the tube, my tube exploded in my backpack last weekend!