As the hours in the office tick by, many workers say their carefully crafted appearance begins to fall apart—according to a new TikTok trend. Hope Dougherty, an accountant, sums up her experience. “I’ll do my hair, I’ll do my makeup, I’ll put on a nice outfit, and I always feel like by the end of the day, it’s like I had not done any of those things,” Dougherty says. “My makeup is almost completely gone, my hair has fallen, and I just generally feel very uncomfortable and gross.”
And she’s not alone. Employees across the country are blaming the “office air” phenomenon for drying out their skin, making their hair frizz up, and melting off their makeup – long before 5 o’clock hits. The theories pointing to extreme heating and air-conditioning and a lack of fresh air. Dermatologist Susan Massick says, “Air may be recycled, recirculated, so the air tends to be very dry, so not a lot of moisture in the air, not a lot of humidity.” She adds that fluorescent lighting is another culprit, “Keep in mind that if you’re taking a look in the mirror, trying to do selfies at work, the lighting is not great. So, when you have artificial light, really harsh fluorescent lightings, it’s going to look like you have more to washed out or pale appearance.”
“Office air” not only impacts how workers look and feel, Dougherty explains how the toll on her appearance can also impact her performance, “If you don’t feel good you are not as focused because your mind is being diverted to think about how gross you feel…. you are not as confident, and that is very important in a workplace, especially for women.”
Dr. Massick emphasizes that while the air itself isn’t toxic, there are additional factors to consider, including, long hours, blue light from your computer, and stress. “Stress can make a huge impact when it comes to your skin, how you’re feeling. And it can be work stress. It can be work-life balance stress. It can be lots of different stressors. She continues, “And then when you’re stressed, the increased cortisol levels, you might find that your regular skin conditions, whether you have eczema or psoriasis are much, much worse.”
If you’re experiencing symptoms of “office air” Dr. Massick suggests using a simple skin care regimen to prevent it, suggesting, “You want people to have a good moisturizer. It helps replenish the moisture, hydrate the skin. We want to make sure that you’re using a daily sunscreen because you can have ultraviolet light exposure, but also the high energy visible light, which can be associated with fluorescent lighting, computer screens.”
Dr. Massick also advises workers to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, avoiding a lot of caffeine or energy drinks, and use a desk humidifier, if your office allows it.
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