It's a typical summer day — you've applied your SPF 50 sun cream so your skin is ready to face the sun, and you have a hand-held fan to put in your bag (especially if you're in perimenopause or menopause). Hand fans are heatwave bestsellers, especially portable battery-operated styles that are trending with just about everyone - including King Charles.
Your skin is protected and you're prepared for emergency cool downs, but there's one thing you may not have considered: transepidermal water loss (TEWL), which is still one of the most common adverse effects of the sun and heat during the summer.
"Fans, by continuously circulating the air, encourage the evaporation of water on the surface of the epidermis," warns pharmacist Karla Pires. Essentially, as you try to cool down you might be accidentally undermining your whole skin care routine.
© Getty ImagesDehydration in sensitive areas
The pharmacist explains that when it comes to your skin, certain areas are far more vulnerable to dehydration than others. "By generating a continuous airflow, fans accelerate evaporation. Skin becomes dehydrated and dry, with sensitive areas of the face being the first to suffer. We see this with the lips, which become visibly chapped, but also with the eyes. The drafts disrupt the tear film – that crucial protective barrier – leading to dry eyes."
- Lips: "The skin barrier of the lips is much more fragile and has fewer sebaceous glands than other areas, which is why they dry out and crack so easily. Add heat, sweat, a constant breeze and poor hydration into the mix, and you're left with that sore, chapped feeling," notes Pires.
- Eyes: "Air currents can break down the tear film, which is essential for keeping eyes comfortable. When that film evaporates too quickly, it can cause dryness, itching, stinging or a gritty sensation. That's why so many people notice their eyes feel dry after sleeping with a fan on or spending hours working right in front of one." To avoid eye sensitivity, keep the temperature between 24-26°C (75-79°F) and adjust the fan speed to a low or moderate level.
Finally, she highlights sensitive, reactive, or redness-prone skin as being particularly at risk. "Not because a fan is inherently harsh, but because a compromised skin barrier is far less tolerant of anything that accelerates moisture loss or heightens irritation."
© Getty ImagesSkincare to combat TEWL
Besides using a fan in moderation, summer routines that strengthen the skin barrier and provide deep hydration become a lifesaver for the skin. Karla Pires gives us two tips:
- Opt for at-home skin care treatments in the form of serums, creams, facial masks or targeted eye patches, that are rich in hydrating and strengthening active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, centella asiatica, ceramides, panthenol or glycerine.
- Choose gel or gel-cream textures. These will "refresh the skin without it feeling heavy". "Using this type of treatment helps to boost the skin barrier, deeply hydrate the skin and help protect itself from air currents."
In summary: yes, fans are great - but in moderation and never pointed directly at the face for too long. Avoid intense or overly cold air blasts, and enhance your skincare ritual with hydrating and strengthening formulas in lightweight textures.
About the expert
Karla Pires is a pharmacist and quality manager for Madrid K-beauty boutique Planet Skin.
