TriPollar Blog

For some of us, air traveling has become a frequent activity; in fact, many of us travel through the sky more than we travel on land. There have been many reports on health issues related to frequent flying; these include exposure to cosmic radiation, low quality filtered air and dehydration, blood clots due to immobility (DVT), and general stress related to travel.
How severe are these health hazards, can they increase the skin aging process and can we take steps to protect our selves from the ill effect of them?
Exposure to radiation is indeed increased while flying but this exposure should not be a major concern and does not cause skin damage similar to sun skin damage from UV exposure and does not speed up the ageing process of skin. A report issued by Health Canada states that exposure to cosmic radiation is not a major concern: “At commercial aircraft altitudes cosmic radiation is much more intense than on the ground. Even though exposure can be a hundred times greater at these altitudes than it is on the ground, it is still fairly small. It would take about 100 one-way flights between Toronto and Vancouver to obtain the same exposure as we get in one year from other sources of natural background radiation.”  According to this report, the risk associated with frequent exposure to cosmic radiation is development of cancer that will appear years after the actual exposure: “the chance of a fatal cancer occurring would be approximately 1% following 30 years of flying, at 1000 hours per year. Most people fly much less and the chance of a fatal cancer occurring would also be much less. As we all have about a 25% chance of getting a fatal cancer, cosmic radiation represents a small addition to the underlying cancer risk from all causes.”
DVT is Deep Venous (Vein) Thrombosis, also known as “economy class syndrome”. DVT is a result of many hours spent immobile, this is not necessarily restricted to flying,  sitting in a car for many hours or even at your desk, can cause DVT. (DVT should not be confused with external, superficial varicose veins.) The major danger of SYMPTOMS DVT is the dislodging of the clot to the lungs, a condition called pulmonary embolism which can even cause death. As mentioned, DVT is not a condition restricted to air travelling and does not affect the aging skin. To decrease the risk of DVT while traveling, one should increase consumption of fluids during flight (not coffee and alcohol). In addition it is important to move around (about 5 minutes of movement every hour along with some simple foot and leg exercises).  Special compression socks are also available to prevent DVT during flight.
The low quality filtered air is a source of harmful bacteria and viruses; basically the air is recycled along with the negative disease spreading agents. This air is also lower in oxygen levels but not low enough to cause damage or affect normal physiological processes. An additional draw back of the recycled air is the lack of humidity, causing dry skin and a feeling of dehydration. This can be easily amended by consuming lots of fluids (not coffee or alcohol) and using a good moisturizer or your favorite anti aging cream, this temporary dehydration is not a major factor for speeding of the aging process.
The stress of traveling is the most prominent aging “side affect” of traveling. Stress is not related to flying alone but it is surly increased when one has a tight schedule to match and this schedule cannot be controlled by the traveler as the weather, and other obstacles can ruin an important business trip. Stress is a known enhancer of the aging process including wrinkles and dull skin. When travelling, try to relax, allow yourself a stress-free schedule with reasonable time between connecting flights. In addition, try to get a good night’s sleep before the flight. Drinking alcohol during the flight is not a solution to the stress; it will increase dehydration and make you feel more tired and drained after the flight. To fight the aging symptoms of stress one should increase fluid consumption, use good natural anti aging creams along with good night antiaging masks and treatments. Other options for treating your stress related wrinkles and dull complexion in the comfort of your home, especially after long flight, are using other anti aging products, such as the TriPollar STOP. The TriPollar STOP is a new clinical skin renewal device which brings about a fresh, younger look immediately after the treatment.
The TriPollar Radio Frequency Technology gently heats the skin from inside, creating dramatic clinical anti-aging results while stimulating the collagen production and thickening of the dermis.