We all know how good it is to leave the city after a period of never ending work and take a break in the mountains. The air smells fresher, the skies are clearer, nature is in abundance, and fun is to be had.

What we don't consider is what effect the higher altitude will have on our skin. There is a reason people who live in harsh conditions have much tougher, damaged skin, here's why.

ALTITUDE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Altitude has an extremely large influence on the surrounding environment. When in high altitude areas the moisture, humidity, air pressure, and oxygen levels are significantly less. This creates an excessively dry climate that is likely to experience a greater degree of variance between day and night temperatures as compared to low altitude areas.

ALTITUDE AND YOUR SKIN

The extremities of these elevated conditions also have an extremely exaggerated effect on your skin. The most telling of these include the drastically increased risk of sunburn, premature aging, and melanomas due to the stronger presence of UV rays and free radicals in the thinned atmosphere.

Also because the air is usually totally devoid of any form of moisture, there is a considerably elevated chance of experiencing dry, irritated skin, facial redness, and eczema.

As is usually the case with a trip to the mountains there will be increased levels of drinking, partying, unhealthy eating, and profuse sweating from a day on the slopes. This all forms part of the life in a ski resort but it is severely influential in both drying and irritating the skin.

COUNTER THIS WITH THE USE OF NATURAL SKIN CARE BALMS

If you want to keep your skin looking young and full of moisture and elasticity it is important to take a natural, nourishing lotion or balm on your trip. Natural lotions and balms soak into the skin faster, and rehydrating without causing nasty irritations unlike many of the chemical based products found on the shelf.