Why Is My Skin So Dry In Las Vegas? (5 Ways To Avoid It)
If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas and noticed your skin feeling drier than usual, you’re not alone: scan any reddit or TripAdvisor forum and you’ll see dry skin complaints from tourists and locals alike. So, why does skin become so dry in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas offers up a perfect recipe for dry skin, including its record-breaking low humidity levels, dry air conditioning in casinos, an abundance of alcohol, and plenty of heat, sun, and chlorine on those vacation pool days.
But you don’t have to suffer the fate of those people who get dry skin in Las Vegas if you follow the advice in this article.
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Why Is My Skin So Dry in Las Vegas?
Your skin is so dry in Las Vegas because the air in this desert city is exceptionally dry, and things don’t get better when heading indoors: air conditioning and alcohol in the casino will further dehydrate you and dry your skin. Add in pool days and sunburns, and you’ve created an extremely arid environment in your body.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors that bring about a person having dry skin in Las Vegas:
Record Low Humidity in Las Vegas Causes Dry Skin
Las Vegas, Nevada has the lowest average relative humidity of any city in the United States. That means that the water content in the air is so low that your skin cells simply can’t retain their moisture.
The average annual relative humidity level in Las Vegas is around 31%. During the summer months, however, the actual humidity level can drop to as low as 5% on any given day. That’s crazy dry!
Compare that to a city like nearby Los Angeles. LA has an average relative humidity of 52.4% and in the summer months, the humidity goes up to approximately 65%. Although these two cities are fairly close geographically, they couldn’t be further apart when it comes to the amount of moisture in the air.
| City | Average Annual Relative Humidity | Average Humidity in June |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 31% | 18% |
| Los Angeles | 52.4% | 65% |
| Miami | 73% | 78% |
There’s no denying that as far as humidity is concerned, Las Vegas is tough on a person’s skin.
High Level of Air Conditioning in Vegas Dries Out Skin
It’s hot a good chunk of the year in Las Vegas, so to keep you indoors and spending money at the casino and bars, businesses pump the air conditioning on full blast.
According to Hartman Brothers Heating and Air, air conditioning will remove most of the moisture from the air, if there was any there to begin with in Las Vegas. As it pulls moisture out of your skin, the AC is doing something else: lowering oil production from your pores.
This is a double whammy for skin that was already suffering.
Increased Alcohol Use in Las Vegas Causes Dehydration and Dry Skin
For most tourists, a trip to the Las Vegas strip isn’t complete without a cocktail or two. But those cocktails won’t help your dry skin condition.
Alcohol is severely dehydrating, not just for your skin, but for your entire system, according to WebMD. In addition, alcohol causes other skin sensitivities that may exacerbate the problem, such as psoriasis, dandruff, and sun sensitivity.
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Las Vegas’s Famous Pools Contribute To Dry Skin (Showers Too!)
Las Vegas is infamous for its hard water, which means the water in the pool and in your shower may feel refreshing on your hot skin, but it is anything but.
Hard water makes it more difficult to rinse the soap off you in the shower which can irritate your skin. Further, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals found in hard water can clog your pores and cause dryness.
Things don’t get better when you head to one or more of Vegas’s famous pools. Chlorine, which is meant to treat pool water to keep it clean and free of bacteria, performs a similar number on your skin. The chemicals will strip your skin of any natural oils, leaving it dry, flaky, and itchy, according to Triathlete.com.
Add a little sunshine to the mix, and now you’ve got a sunburn that will dry your skin even further.
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How Do You Keep Your Skin Moisturized in Las Vegas? (5 Ways)
To keep your skin moisturized while you’re in Las Vegas, focus on proper hydration, body care products, and the air you’re breathing.
1. Hydrate in Las Vegas With Plenty of Water
Water is your best friend in Las Vegas. Aim for 80 to 120 ounces of water per day to maintain proper hydration while you’re traveling to or living in this desert city.
To make sure that hydration sticks, limit alcoholic beverages if possible. Alcohol will undo any hydration you’ve given yourself prior.
Finally, most people think of liquids when they think of hydration, but food choices are important, too. When you’re in a dry environment, stick to foods that are made up of water, which usually includes fruits and vegetables.
Cucumbers, salads, watermelon, apples, celery, citrus, broths, and soups are all water-rich food choices at the Vegas buffet which can help.
2. Bring Your Own Soap to Las Vegas
The soap provided in your hotel room is probably not the best option to use while you’re in Las Vegas. Soap should be gentle, and non-foaming is actually best. Anything that lathers could have harsh ingredients that could further strip your skin of moisture.
Oil-based cleansers and anything that says “mild” on it will work best.
The best idea is to actually bring your normal soap from home with you on vacation to Vegas. Your skin is already used to that particular soap and there’s a good chance it’s much higher quality than the bar soap you’ll find in Las Vegas hotel rooms.
3. Choose an Oil-Based Moisturizer For Your Trip to Vegas
So many body lotions and even face moisturizers are water-based, but if your skin is already having trouble retaining moisture, these water-based lotions aren’t going to cut it in Las Vegas.
Choose a moisturizer for skin care that’s labeled as a “cream,” a “balm,” or even an “ointment.” These will use oil-based ingredients that will lock the moisture into your skin by creating a barrier from the elements.
Oftentimes, oil-based moisturizers will come packaged in a tube, a tub, or a jar, because the lack of water in this product makes it more difficult to dispense from a pump.
4. Use a Humidifier While You’re in Las Vegas
Humidifiers release moisture back into the air of a room that is dry or lacks humidity. These simple devices use water to create steam to ease conditions like respiratory issues and dry skin.
While it may not seem convenient to lug a full-sized humidifier around on vacation, there are now portable humidifiers made for this very purpose. They’re compact and easy to pack in a suitcase, and some cost as little as $20.
Something like this GENIANI Cool Mist Humidifier from Amazon.com should do the trick for a trip to Las Vegas.
5. Don’t Forget the Body Lotion When You’re in Vegas
Finally, you won’t want to forget to apply body lotion when you’re visiting Sin City. While many of the nicer hotels may provide small amounts of body lotion, it is a great idea to pack some body lotion or pick some up when you get here.
You’ll want to apply it liberally when you get out of the shower after a day by the pool or out adventuring along the Las Vegas strip. Your skin will thank you!
The Dry Air in Las Vegas Equals Dry Lips Too!
Your skin in Las Vegas isn’t the only part of your body to suffer due to the extremely dry air. You’re also bound to feel your lips drying out as well.
In fact, your lips are often the first place you’ll notice the effects of the dry air.
Along with the other tips for keeping your skin cells hydrated, packing a quality lip balm for your trip to Las Vegas is also an excellent idea. In addition to moisturizing your lips, lip balm will also help protect your luscious lips from the direct sun if you get one that includes some SPF protection.
Summary
You do not need to suffer extremely dry skin while you’re in Las Vegas, but you might if you don’t follow the correct precautions.
The longer you stay in this arid city, the more you’ll be exposed to a number of things that can dry out your skin, including the lack of humidity outside, the cold forced air inside, the cocktails, and the condition of tap and pool water.
Take care to stay hydrated, use moisturizing oil-based cleansers and balms, and keep moisture in the air in your controlled environment with a humidifier, and you may just escape Sin City with healthy, glowing skin!
