Packing Your Skin Care for a Winter Sun Trip: What Canadians Often Get Wrong

By Your Health Magazine Contributor

Your Health Magazine Contributor

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Packing Your Skin Care for a Winter Sun Trip: What Canadians Often Get Wrong

Every year, as the first cold snap arrives, thousands of Canadians start booking a week somewhere warm. The flights and the hotel get plenty of attention, while the skin care bag is usually thrown together the night before. That is a pity, because the sun in Cancún or Punta Cana in January behaves nothing like the sun in Muskoka in July, and the products you pack should reflect that.

The sun at your destination is not the sun at home

Canadians tend to judge the sun by what they know. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the country’s highest UV Index readings are found in southern Ontario, and the UV Index in Canada peaks in spring and summer. The same page notes that UV values in more southerly countries can be much higher, reaching as high as 14 in tropical countries. Anything from 11 up counts as “extreme” on the scale.

In practical terms, skin that has spent four months under grey skies and winter coats lands in a place where the UV can be stronger than anything it saw last summer. That gap is why so many vacation sunburns happen on the first afternoon, often by the pool before anyone has unpacked properly.

Sunscreen first, everything else second

The Canadian Dermatology Association recommends a minimum SPF of 30, and a product labelled “broad-spectrum” so that it covers both UVA and UVB rays. It also stresses quantity, suggesting roughly a palm-full for each arm and each leg, and advises reapplying regularly, especially after swimming or heavy sweating. The association is also clear that sunscreen should not be used to stretch out the time you would normally spend in the sun.

Most people under-apply, which is where a single small tube falls short. For a week of beach days, a family will go through more sunscreen than they expect. Pack more than you think you need, and buy a replacement at the resort shop if you run low rather than rationing it.

One more myth worth dropping before you leave: a few sessions of indoor tanning will not protect you on the trip. New Brunswick’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health puts it plainly in its advice for southbound travellers: indoor tanning in preparation for your trip will not offer effective protection against sunburn.

Know the airport rules before you fill the bag

Lotions, oils, creams and sprays all fall under the same carry-on limits. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority’s sunny destination security guide says liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers of 100 ml or less, and all of them must fit in one clear, resealable bag of up to one litre. Anything larger belongs in checked luggage.

A sensible split looks like this:

• Carry-on: a travel-size sunscreen, lip balm with SPF and a small moisturiser, so you are covered if your checked bag is delayed.
• Checked bag: full-size sunscreen, after-sun lotion and any body oils or bronzing creams.
• Either: a wide-brimmed hat and UV-protective sunglasses, which take no space in the liquids bag at all.

Put pump bottles and spray oils in a zip bag inside your suitcase. Pressure changes in the hold can loosen caps, and an oil spill across a week of clothing is not how anyone wants to start a holiday.

Where bronzing products fit in

Some travellers bring bronzing creams or oils for cosmetic colour or appearance. These products are a cosmetic choice, not a form of protection, and it pays to read labels carefully. Many accelerator formulas, including products built around ingredients such as L-tyrosine with carrot, coconut or papaya oils, do not list an SPF rating and are meant to be used alongside a separate sunscreen.

For example, travellers who choose to explore tanning accelerator products may find both cream and spray-oil formats. These products should be treated as cosmetic products rather than sun protection, and they do not make intentional tanning safe. Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 as directed, reapply it regularly, and continue using shade, clothing and other sun-protection measures.

Plan your days around the strongest sun

Environment and Climate Change Canada advises that when the UV Index is very high or extreme, you should avoid staying too long in the sun, particularly between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., seek shade and reapply sunscreen every two hours or after swimming or sweating. On a resort holiday, that schedule is easier to follow than it sounds. Mornings are for the beach, the hottest hours are for lunch under a palapa, a nap or a museum visit, and late afternoon is back to the water.

Keep in mind that water, sand and white concrete pool decks all reflect sunlight, so sitting under an umbrella does not mean you are out of the UV. Shade reduces exposure but does not remove the need for sunscreen.

The skin you bring home

A week in the tropics followed by a flight home into minus 15 is a lot to ask of your skin. Cabin air is dry, and Canadian winter air is drier still. Pack a rich, fragrance-free moisturiser in your carry-on for the return flight and use it generously in the days after you land. And because the same Environment and Climate Change Canada guidance points out that fresh snow can reflect more than 80 per cent of UV rays, keep that sunscreen out of the drawer once you are home: a bright February afternoon on the ski hill can still leave you with a burn.