Welcome to Skinside Out, where science meets beauty, the ultimate dermatology podcast! Dive deep into the fascinating world of skin health with expert insights, evidence-based discussions, and myth-busting truths. Each episode explores the medical, cosmetic, and surgical aspects of dermatology, while keeping you informed about trending skincare topics. Whether you’re a skincare enthusiast, medical professional, or just curious about how to achieve your best skin, Skinside Out is your go-to resource for staying informed and inspired.
65 - Skinside Out
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Dr. Zain Husain, MD: [00:00:00] Welcome to Skin Side Out. I'm your host, Dr. Zane, with Heather and Courtney. So today we're talking about travel and skincare. So vacation is definitely some of our favorite times of the year, and summertime is definitely a higher volume of vacation time. So there's a lot of traveling going on, so we're gonna go over some practical tips, um, for, you know, safe travels with our skin.
Um, so let's start off with beach vacations 'cause summertime you think the beach. So Courtney, what are some key things that you want to remember on your beach trip?
Courtney Carroll, LE: Hmm, obviously first and foremost, your sunscreen. Um, but I think wearing, um, sun protective clothing is honestly so much more helpful. Mm-hmm.
Um, the beach you're getting so much g- sun exposure and chronic, and it's such, like a high amount of UV that I think even sometimes, like, your sunscreen can't necessarily keep up unless you're really being strict to adhering by that two-hour rule. [00:01:00] Mm-hmm. Um, so yeah, the SPF shirts just make it a lot easier to kinda cut out the you know, the guesswork of when you have to reapply.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Any practical tips with sunscreen application?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah, I think trying to apply, like, 15 minutes a- before you get outside. Um, like Courtney mentioned, reapplying every two hours. Um, trying to get into shade when you can. You do need a lot more sunscreen than you think, so you need two full finger lengths for face, and then you need, like, a full shot glass- Mm-hmm
or, like, a golf ball size for your body.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, and reapplying every two hours- Yep ... that's really key. Yeah.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. It- Oh, go ahead.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Jinx. I was just gonna say, and if you know you're gonna be out by the beach, I think opting to choose a mineral sunscreen is always nice and healthy for the reef- Yeah ... um, because chemical sunscreens can be damaging to-
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah
Courtney Carroll, LE: aquatic life.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah, and, um, just a reminder to not forget the, um, problem areas, or the areas that we- Mm-hmm ... commonly forget. So, like, your ears, the back- Mm-hmm ... [00:02:00] of your neck, the tops of your feet, um, your lips. Yeah. Um, Courtney?
Courtney Carroll, LE: The tops of the feet. Yeah, no, the lips. Your
Heather Murray, PA-C: scalp. Mm-hmm.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah, and the top of the feet is a huge one 'cause I actually did get I actually did get burned there a couple weeks ago.
Mm-hmm. Um, 'cause when you put your sunscreen on you're just putting it on your legs- Yeah ... and, like, you're not really so diligent about the tops of the feet. Yeah. So that's a, yeah, huge area. Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, I think the lips are a big one because people don't really put it on their lips as frequently- Mm ... as they should.
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. Elta makes a really nice, um, like, UV lip balm that I really like.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. So in addition to the sun, we are also dealing with a lot of water, right? Pools, the ocean. What are some issues that we see with water exposure?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Um, like we kind of mentioned in the last episode, you can get some types of dermatitis from excessive water exposure, so having a gentle moisturizer, um, soothing products.
You don't wanna do anything that's too harsh- Mm-hmm ... on the skin.
Courtney Carroll, LE: And you don't wanna go into the ocean with open wounds because [00:03:00] that's how you get vibrio. And I'm really concerned about vibrio all the time. Every time I go to the beach, I'm worried I'm gonna have, get vibrio.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: You're also a hypochondriac.
Courtney Carroll, LE: That is true, too. As, as I eat my raw oysters, I'm like, "Oh, vibrio." Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: And your thoughts about getting a base tan before you go to the beach?
Courtney Carroll, LE: No, that's not real. That's sun damage.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: That's right. It's your base layer of sun damage. Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: All right, so we're going from the beach to the mountains. So in North Carolina, we're lucky we have both.
Mm-hmm. So what are some tips and tricks for visiting the mountains?
Courtney Carroll, LE: Heather, you're a hiker.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yes, you are.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Um, I think again, kind of first and foremost, and across the board, sunscreen. Mm-hmm. A lot of times, especially if you're hiking in shaded areas with lots of trees, you don't really think that you're getting a lot of UV exposure- Mm
but you are. Um, and depending on the altitude, it can be a lot drier in that area, so having good moisture and hydration.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: What other [00:04:00] concerns do we have in the mountains?
Courtney Carroll, LE: Bugs.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Oof.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. Lots
Courtney Carroll, LE: of bugs. Yeah. And you know what's funny? Man, I, I wish I had the... I just saw a video, but obviously you can use DEET. Um, DEET is, I guess, probably like first line for bugs.
I don't really feel like DEET helps.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, I still get-
Courtney Carroll, LE: I still get bit- ... get
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: on
Courtney Carroll, LE: all the time ... so I don't understand. But I did save a video on Instagram that was, like, some, like, some, like, random, um, like a... Maybe like a fragrance or something, and it's like a... Or it's like a body oil. And I will say the comments on it were, like, people swearing by it.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Really? So- Is it, like... I know there's, like, eucalyptus oil- Mm ... I think.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Citronella.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Cedar. Yeah. It must be some kind of, like, essential oil- Yeah ... body oil that is sh- yeah. But I'll have to look it up. It, it was like people were swearing by it. Hm. And they were like, "This is better than DEET." Yeah. So I think certain, like, certain smells or, like, essential oils- Yeah
deter.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Honestly, I would prefer that to DEET.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Oh, yeah.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. Lemongrass.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. It
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: actually smells good, and I don't know, I just, I just hate the smell of DEET- Mm-hmm Yeah ... and it feels icky.
Courtney Carroll, LE: I know. Yeah. [00:05:00] And even... But the problem is sometimes even you cover up, and they bite- Mm-hmm. Oh ... through the clo- I have gotten-
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Oh, yeah ...
Courtney Carroll, LE: bites, yeah, through my clothes.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. So- I'll usually, like, if I have pants on, like hiking pants or something, I'll spray my ankles- Mm ... but I'll also spray, like, the bottom of the pants, too.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Mm-hmm. That's smart.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Um, so what can we do to help prepare for our mountain trip?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Um, bring bug spray- Yes
but also maybe bring some cortisone cream- Mm-hmm ... just in case you do get bit. A lot of times they're really itchy, and it's not fun. Yeah. Especially if you're doing lots of hiking, I think when you s- like, if you get bit and you have a lot on your legs, for example, and then you go walking I don't know mechanistically why this happens, but I guess the blood flow makes them itchier.
Oh. I guess it's just because of the blood flow. I was
Courtney Carroll, LE: thinking like something with the sweat, like
Heather Murray, PA-C: irritate- Maybe it's the sweat. I don't know. Maybe, yeah. But I feel like as soon as I start walking again, it's like really itchy.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Mm. Hm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Interesting. [00:06:00] So antihistamines are also really- Yeah ... really helpful for the itch.
And try not to like dig at it. I know it's really hard to resist. Um, I'm guilty of it too. But- Mm ... use a steroid. Cool compresses also help. Yeah. I feel like that helps a lot. There's also this device, um- Mm-hmm ... Amna had brought it home. It's like this thing where you suck your- The suction? Yeah. Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: It's on Shark Tank.
Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: And I tried it. It didn't really help that much.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: It's kinda like more of like a distraction kinda, but after a little while, it's itchy again.
Courtney Carroll, LE: They make- Hm ... um, similar to like pimple patches, they make bug bite patches. Oh. But I think the goal is just to keep your hands off of it. Oh. Like, I don't think it has any hydrocortisone or anything.
No. I, I guess you probably could in theory put a little hydrocortisone and put the, um, patch on top of it. You should
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: have like infu- lidocaine or something like that.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. That's a good... All right. Cut that out- That's, that's- ... 'cause we're gonna trademark that.
We're onto something. Yeah. That's, that's a much better idea than the edible sunscreen. Much better.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: I'm full of brilliant ideas.[00:07:00]
Um, what else, um, can we do to help prepare for the mountains?
Courtney Carroll, LE: Definitely using like a, um, more moisturizing cream to help with just the dry... It, it's so much more dry in the mountains. Mm-hmm. Especially the higher the altitude I think- Mm-hmm ... can really get you dried out. So just using, you know, heavier products than you might normally use at home.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Okay. Great. Switching gears, now we're gonna be going to our snowy destinations. So, you know, maybe we're doing some skiing or snowboarding, um, or just, you know, doing some hiking. So Heather, what should we do on our winter vacations?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Um, I think moisture's another big one, too. Just kind of, um, very similar with the altitude, but also if you're going somever- somewhere very cold, it's usually just drier in general- Mm
even if you're not at a, at a high altitude. Um, so making sure you're hydrating really well, using, um, thicker moisturizers, maybe even, um, a windbreaker so you're not [00:08:00] getting like wind burn, too, just to help protect your, your skin barrier.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. Um, I was in Iceland a few months ago, and- It's cold there, of course.
And we're, like, hiking on a glacier, and my skin was incredibly dry and raw. Mm-hmm.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Um, and I'm like, "Whoa."
Heather Murray, PA-C: And a lot of reflection from sun- Mm-hmm ... and ice can, um... You can get a lot more sun damage there, too.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. I
Courtney Carroll, LE: like using-
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: So wear your sunscreen.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. I like using a little bit of, like, Vaseline or Aquaphor.
Mm-hmm. And sometimes I'll put it around my nose, because that area gets so chapped. Yeah. Um, and then even sometimes, like, the creases of my eyes. Obviously, the lips I always do. But yeah, that area, I think people tend to kind of forget about, and especially when it's, like, cold, and if your nose starts running, you're, you know, rubbing at it.
Friction. Just gets dry and crusty, and I, I hate that feeling, so Aquaphor. Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: I mean, the skin barrier is disrupted in these environments, so it's always good to, you know, provide those ceramides and other emollients to help repair that.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Mm-hmm. [00:09:00] My tip or trick for wintery destinations is don't go snowboarding if you've never gone snowboarding before, even if your friends talk you into
Heather Murray, PA-C: it.
Why? What happened?
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: You will,
Courtney Carroll, LE: you will break a bone.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: No, only you will break a bone. Only, yeah, only if you have
Heather Murray, PA-C: osteopetrosis. Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah, ski and snowboard responsibly. Um. All right,
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: so how about our city trips to urban areas? Any tips or tricks for vacations there?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Um, I think just remembering your kind of basic skincare routine.
I think a lot of urban environments, there's a lot more pollution- Mm-hmm ... and stuff like that. So if you're not washing your face, please definitely at least wash your face at night, um, just to get all of that dirt, grime, pollution off of your skin or, you know, just showering, full body shower, versus just washing your face.
But, um, keeping it gentle can be really helpful too- Mm-hmm ... in these kinds [00:10:00] of environments.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: I think, um, bringing your own skincare is so important. Yeah. I think, you know, a lot of times people are traveling and so you use the stuff that's at the hotel, and, you know, you're using their face wash, and their, like they don't even have face moisturizer.
It's like body lotion. Yeah. And, you know, you're probably just in desperate times- Yeah ... so you're like, "Oh, I'm gonna use this." Yeah. And then people end up having, like, irritation or acne breakouts. So I think sometimes it can be helpful just getting, like, either, like, trial sizes or just smaller, you know, sample sizes of whatever products you're using.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Cool. Now we're heading to the rainforest, super humid, tropical climates. Any tips for those?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Try to stay dry where you can. It's a lot more humid. We see a lot more, like, um, like rashes that we talked about previously, heat rashes, fungal infections- Mm-hmm ... acne in these kinds- Fungal AS ... of environments.
Yeah. So try to wear lightweight clothing. Um, use non-comedogenic skincare products, so things that are not gonna clog your pores, and just help, um, minimize these things from [00:11:00] happening.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. And obviously these areas have a lot of sun, sunscreen, and these places also have a lot of bugs. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So same tips apply.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yep.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah, I don't know that I've been to, like, a rainforest. I
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: have.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Where?
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Um, Puerto Rico.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Oh, yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, there's a, there's a forest
Courtney Carroll, LE: there. Dominican Republic, I, yeah. I don't know. Not, like... I went
Heather Murray, PA-C: zip lining in the Amazon. Okay, Sloane. Ooh, look at that. Upside down. What? It keeps getting
better.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Where'd you go? Brazil?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Ecuador.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Nice.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Oh.
Heather Murray, PA-C: It was fun.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Very cool.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Okay.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. All right. So had to show me up. A lot of practical... It's a lot of practical tips. So what are some travel, you know, expert tips that we can give to our patients, anyone listening to this podcast?
Courtney Carroll, LE: I think if you can't find trial si- I, it, you know, it's funny, I feel like people are always one of two people.
They're either like, "Ugh, I'm only bringing a checked bag," or like- Mm-hmm ... "I'm only bringing a carry-on." Mm-hmm. But, [00:12:00] um, the problem with the carry-on obviously is you can only bring up to so many ounces on your skincare products. So I do like getting like the, um, like the little bottles from, you can get them from like Walmart- Mm-hmm
or CVS or Five Below has them, and you just, you can fill them up with your own skincare. Mm-hmm. Um, that way you can bring it with you, and then like I said, just avoid having to use any of, um, the different products that-
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: The number of times those bottles have opened up on me- Mm-hmm.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Really? ... in my bag. It's- Oh.
Me
Heather Murray, PA-C: too. It's,
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: it's
Courtney Carroll, LE: all- I put them in a Ziploc bag.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: I put them in there too, but they also spill. And they still... Really? Um, yeah. Mm. Amna actually showed me this really cool thing where like if you put like them in a Ziploc bag and you can like put the top on the outside and like it's basically kind of keeping-
Courtney Carroll, LE: Oh, okay.
It's
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: like a- ... little- ... vacuum
Courtney Carroll, LE: seal?
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, so it was interesting.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Hmm.
Heather Murray, PA-C: So you just put the Ziploc over the, like the- The
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: bottle ... the entry? Like so, like, yep. And so you're putting it inside the Ziploc bag, and then you're putting the top of the bottle- Oh, on the outside ... on, on the outside, screw it in, and that seals it.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Oh.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, so I think she saw it on TikTok. We did [00:13:00] it on our last trip.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Interesting. Yeah. Okay.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Have to try it.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. Anything else?
Heather Murray, PA-C: if you're going somewhere, like a certain environment where you feel like you're prone to getting something, bring, like try to stock up and-
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Mm-hmm ...
Heather Murray, PA-C: and have things readily available, like a hydrocortisone cream or, um-
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: I, in general, I always travel-
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: with, you know, hydrocortisone or a steroid- Mm-hmm ... with me because- Same ...
Heather Murray, PA-C: yeah ...
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: you know, the rashes that we see all the time, um, especially with my kids- Mm-hmm ... you know, it's just always helpful.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. And tweezers. Tweezer, tweezers for multiple reasons, okay? I'll run down. Splinters. Yeah. If you ever get a splinter, if you're at the beach, I got a splinter the last time I was at a beach.
Yeah. And you can just, if you don't have tweezers, how are you gonna get it out? Mm. I mean, you soak it a little bit, but yeah, tweezers I feel like are so important. You like... I don't know. That's really the only thing I can think of. Yeah. But it, it has happened to me.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. Yeah. Maybe if you don't have a good way of like if you do get a tick
Courtney Carroll, LE: or something.
That's true too. Mm-hmm. If you're hiking, yeah. Mm-hmm. How else would you get it out?
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah. Hmm.
Courtney Carroll, LE: I don't know. I feel like [00:14:00] every trip that I go on that I don't have tweezers, I end up needing them.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: So it's in my staple- That's true, yeah ... rotation.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: I think sunglasses are really important.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Not only should we be protecting our skin, but our eyes are very sensitive. Yeah. So you know, UV protective, you know, sunglasses are so important for protecting our eyes.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Courtney Carroll, LE: also I would say being aware of the temperature of where you're going. And, like s- you know, some things... If you're going to somewhere, like, really hot and humid, like, certain things don't travel well, you know, like certain prescriptions or, like, topical meds or skincare items.
So I think just being cognizant. Like, maybe don't bring your, you know, $400 La Mer To the rainforest.
Heather Murray, PA-C: If I had one.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. This is where I put it. Still waiting on that. If I had it. Yeah.
Heather Murray, PA-C: I think another thing too is, like, if you are acne prone, bringing, like, a spot treatment. Mm-hmm. It's very common to get acne when you're traveling.
Mm-hmm. Um, just with the change in environment, especially, like flying too can be a very drying- Also
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: diet changes, right? Mm-hmm. You're on [00:15:00] vacation. Yep. You're probably eating a little different.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah. So yeah, have it just in case.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: All right. I think these were all really great tips, and I think we've covered all the types of trips we could take, um, you know, from an environmental standpoint.
So some final takeaways for this episode. I think that no matter where you go, um, some principles are the same. Sun protection, always huge. Wear sunscreen. Any other themes? I mean, moisturizing.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: And just be smart. You know, be prepared. Um, you know, you can never be over-prepared.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Um, yeah, you can bring it in a checked bag, that's fine, and you have your staples there.
But it's really nice to have that because it sucks when, you know, you don't have it, and, you know, the pharmacies are closed, and, you know, you're just kind of suffering, so.
Heather Murray, PA-C: Yeah.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. But also, yeah, be aware in the checked bags. They do not play about those ounces. I bought- Mm ... a perfume in, in Spain that's like really nice.
In a
Heather Murray, PA-C: checked bag or carry-on?
Courtney Carroll, LE: Oh, sorry, in a carry-on. In a carry-on. Yeah, yeah. And I thought it was under the ounces, but I guess it, [00:16:00] like, wasn't. Oh, yeah. They'll, they'll just throw it- It was like .1 o- yeah, they were like- They'll just throw it out ... they were like, "Do you wanna spray it all on you right now or throw it out?"
I was like- Oh, my gosh ... "Is this funny? 'Cause it's not funny to me." Yeah.
Heather Murray, PA-C: That
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: sucks. No.
Heather Murray, PA-C: That's annoying.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: Yeah, they're mean.
Courtney Carroll, LE: Yeah. Yeah. It was not good. Not good.
Dr. Zain Husain, MD: All right. Well, this was a great episode. Good discussion on travel and skincare. . If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Um, please like, follow, and subscribe. But until next time, Skin Side-
Heather Murray, PA-C: Out. Out [00:17:00]