Traveling can be stressful. Not only is there the hassle of ticket lines, security, and baggage claim, but have you ever stopped to think of the amount of stress flying can cause to your skin? Less oxygen and reduced moisture in airplane cabins can leave skin dry, red, and irritated. It's time to add skincare to your list of flight preparations.

And, thanks to Denise Spanek, skincare specialist for 25 years, owner of Visage Studio in San Francisco, and founder of Air Repair Skincare, this step can be as fast and easy as packing your iPod and Kindle for the plane.

After years of extensive traveling to find highly effective, niche brands for her exclusive studio, Spanek found that it was hard to keep her skin hydrated and feeling fresh. When she looked to other skincare lines for a travel kit, nothing was able to meet her needs.

"I realized no one was doing a skincare line that was directed to combat the negative effects of air travel," Spanek says. She resorted to creating a makeshift kit by pulling products from multiple lines and throwing them in a little bag before she jetted off. However, the sizes were so tiny, that she was running out of products if she was gone for more than a month.

Her frustration and determination ended up as a travel necessity 'an absolute do-not-leave-home-without-it item' the Air Repair Kit, a five-piece skincare kit that helps alleviate post-travel effects.

After finding a chemist that worked with organic materials and traveling with lab samples for more than a year, tweaking each until they were up to par, Spanek's Air Repair Kit made its debut last December.

The products qualify as a natural skincare brand since they are free of petroleum, paraben, and mineral oil. "I wanted to make sure my products were really clean," Spanek says of the line, which includes the following:

A Rescue Balm

Labeled as the Swiss Army Knife of Beauty Products, the Rescue Balm is great for all-purpose skincare product. It can be used on your face, as a night cream, on cuticles, for eczema, and on rough elbows and knees. The balm is also great to apply to hands and lips throughout the day.

Spanek's beauty tip: Use a little of the balm on eyebrows as a groomer to keep them in place.

Beauty Balm

This balm is not oily or greasy, and was designed to repair dull, tired, and dehydrated skin. It contains heat shock proteins, which are climate changing, and adjust to the cells of each person's skin.

Spanek's beauty tip: Leave the Beauty Balm on for 10 minutes to use as a mask for a more intense treatment. Men also like to use the balm as an aftershave.

Complexion Quenching Facial Mist

The mist refreshes and hydrates the skin with soothing plant extracts.

Spanek's beauty tip: Use a spritz of the mist over makeup for a dewy look.

Super-Hydrating Eye Cream

This quick absorbing eye cream coats the eye area with moisture to relieve and protect the skin and minimize the appearance of fine lines, redness, and puffiness. It can be applied as often as needed.

Spanek's beauty tip: Dab on upper and lower lids for all-over moisture.

Soothing Facial Cleansing Milk

This facial wash leaves skin feeling clean and refreshed by calming, hydrating, and alleviating dryness. It can be used on all skin types and leaves the skin feeling smooth.

Spanek's beauty tip: Use the wash at night as a makeup remover.

The carry-on compliant kit comes with instructions on how to treat your skin before flying, when onboard, and when you land. The products also keep your skin looking healthy even when you aren't traveling and can be used individually.

"The products are great because they can be used interactively - each is duo-tasking, if not multitasking," Spanek says. "A lot of my clients have switched out their high-end kits for the Air Repair Kit. For basic daily care, you have everything you need except for the sunscreen."

The Air Repair Kit also works great for skiers, mountain climbers, golfers, and bikers, who also put their skin through a lot of environmental stress and changes. For example, a thin layer of the Rescue Balm can be used to protect skin before a long day outside.

Spanek is also working to develop a 30-minute Air Repair Recovery Facial. She says it would be a way to re-hydrate while waiting for your room to be ready after you land, before going out to dinner the night of your flight, or after beating up your skin all day on the slopes or golf course. Spanek would also like to expand her line to include more beauty products such as an exfoliator, a moisturizer with sunscreen, and a body moisturizer.

For more information on the Air Repair Kit, visit www.airrepairskincare.com. To purchase a kit, visit www.visagestudio.com or call (415) 503-1011.

More quick skincare tips from Air Repair Kit founder Denise Spanek:

1. Exfoliate, moisturize, protect and prevent as part of your daily regimen. (Note: It is better to exfoliate in the morning.)
2. The Air Repair Kit can be used on oily skin. Also, ease off retinol products before flying because they make skin more sensitive.
3. Always be mindful of sunscreen. The sun is damaging, especially at higher altitudes.
4. Be careful not to super strip your skin of its natural oils when you cleanse because you are imbalancing your skin. You want to cleanse, but not disturb the acid mantle.
5. Always moisturize, even if you have oily skin. The central heat blasting in an office building can dry your skin and age it.

- Victoria Scavo