We spend MANY hours a day doing our jobs. Various situations, environments, and tasks in the workplace can greatly impact our skin. Whatever your career may be, it is important to take extra care when it comes to the health of your skin, making sure you are aware of the daily wear and tear that your specific occupation may have on you.

Too close to the sun: Flight attendants, pilots, astronauts, even….balloonists and skydivers are at greater risk of cumulative lifetime exposure to ultraviolet light. This is due to a greater exposure to the sun's radiation in a cockpit, for example, combined with high altitude presence. Above the ozone protected stratosphere, ultraviolet is not well filtered and can permeate the surface of an airplane fuselage in small part and also through windows and windshields to a greater degree. Sunglasses, sunscreen and long sleeve clothing are a MUST for those who fly during the daylight hours.

Chemical exposure:

Hairdressers are at risk for hand eczema due to exposure to hair dyes, hair relaxing chemicals, and frequent exposure to wet conditions. A good approach is to wear gloves. Gloves at work help too much exposure to offending agents but it is also helpful to use cotton gloves at night after work, when home relaxing. These gloves are best worn over thick moisturizer and left on several hours or even over night for best conditioning. This practice can also improve nail and cuticle health.

Frequently wet hands:

Bartenders, housekeepers, florists, nurses, doctors, medical technicians, and almost any profession that requires frequent exposure to wetness of hands can be at risk for a multitude of hand and fingernail issues. A condition known as hand eczema or dyshidrotic dermatitis is often associated with these professions. Being aware that too much moisture is the problem, taking steps to protect skin and allow it to dry is a necessary step towards improving. Moisturizers act as an invisible glove helping to shield the skin from irritation caused by constant wetness. Choose a lubricating hand product that contains dimethicone, shea butter, ceramides and/or petrolatum for best results.

Standing on hard surfaces:

Teachers, flight attendants, hairdressers, bartenders, food servers and others who must stand on hard surfaces for many hours daily, are all prone to leg and foot swelling, as well as worsening of leg vein problems like varicose veins. This has to do with the pressure from standing on a hard surface. Wearing support hosiery (compression stockings) can help prevent this (good for pregnant women too).

Outdoors all day:

Farmers, roofers, utility workers, road and highway crew, landscapers and fisherman and other outdoor occupations, are at a severely higher risk for skin cancer due to chronic lifetime sun exposure. Wearing protective clothing, sunscreen, and taking shade breaks are all ways to limit this risk.

Indoors all day:

Office workers in large high-rise buildings, flight attendants and pilots, and others who are stuck indoors all day and do not have the ability to open windows, can suffer from very dry skin and dry hair due to being exposed to re-circulated air with a low level of ambient humidity. Using a room humidifier, a lot of moisturizer, taking outdoor breaks, and drinking plenty of water can help. Even having a green plant or two in your office, which you keep moist and misted, can help alleviate this risk.