I’m a dermatologist and this is why you should wear sunscreen on your flight

If you normally put your sunscreen in your hold luggage when getting on a plane, you might want to have it to hand instead.

Skin doctors have warned that anyone getting on a plane should wear sunscreen during their flight.

Dermatologist Dr Joyce Park recommends that all travelers lather on SPF protection before a flight.

This is because the sun is more intense at higher levels and flyers are closer to the ozone layer.

New York City-based dermatologist Cherise Mizrahi-Levi told travel website The Points Guy that plane windows do not block harmful UVA rays.

She said: ‘Airplane windows are typically polycarbonate plastic or layered composite glass.

‘While there is negligible transmission of UVB rays through plastic and glass windshields, UVA transmission through these windows is significant.’

UBV rays can cause sunburn while UVA rays are connected with skin aging. 

In a TikTok, Dr Joyce Park cited a 2015 study published in JAMA Dermatology which examined the skin cancer risk for pilots and cabin crew.

It found that pilots flying in a cockpit for about an hour at 30,000 feet are exposed to the same amount of UVA radiation as a 20-minute tanning-bed session.

The rays could also be damaging to passengers sitting in a window seat and flight attendants who are flying more often than the average citizen. 

To reduce their sun exposure, flyers can close the window blind, apply SPF and wear long sleeves.

Dr Park said: ‘You should ABSOLUTELY wear sunscreen on airplanes or keep windows shut.’