First the good.
Increased physical activity has awesome benefits for your skin and the way you look. The increased blood flow boosts your collagen and elastin production and gives skin that amazing healthy glow. Some claim that exercising detoxifies the skin, and that's not really true (your liver gets the detox), but the increased sweat and blood flow can help push out waste and cellular debris out of the pores. The blood flow nourishes by getting vital nutrients to the skin. Exercising has also been shown to reduce stress, and stress hormones are being linked to increased acne and eczema (WebMD).
The bummers.
Many people see a major change in their skin when they first start to work out, some of these include breakouts, chafing, rashes, redness, and eczema flare ups. For those that rash, chafe and suffer from eczema, few things that you can do is make sure you are wearing water wicking clothing, and apply a non-scented moisturizer to the skin before working out focusing especially on where the skin creases. If you suffer from redness or rosacea, try doing workouts in a cooler environment where you are less likely to sweat, maybe try pilates or swimming. Acne from working out will generally pass in time, just make sure you aren't exacerbating the situation by picking and make sure to remove all products containing glycolic acid, AHA/BHA, retinoids, and other acne treatments before your workout as the increased blood flow can make your skin more sensitive.
Pre-exercise skin care tips
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Remove all your makeup. I know it's hard to flirt with that cute guy without your face on, but try it.
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Wash your face. Even if you're not wearing makeup, wash your face to remove any bacteria and debris that has built up throughout the day. Make sure you are using an actual wash, many of the wipes or micellular washes that you don't rinse can leave behind surfactants that can make your skin sensitive or breakout when you add sweat to the mix. I like to use Hexam from Vivier because it has a great antimicrobial effect.
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Body breakouts? Wipe your back, chest, and shoulders down with a washcloth and antimicrobial cleanser.
At the gym skin care tips
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Wear a headband and tie back your hair. Hair products and your face just don't get along, A headband helps keep them separated.
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Bring your own towel. Use the over bleached, super scratchy towels on the equipment but bring the one for you from home, the chemicals that they use to sterilize the towels is just bad news, and going from equipment to your face can cause cross contamination issues between you and that sweaty beast that was there before you.
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Keep your hands off your face. Think about it, who sanitizes the dumbbells?
Post-exercise skin care tips
- Don't walk around in sweaty gym clothes. Yeast and bacteria grow in warm and damp environments. The longer you wear them, the more they grow.
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Wash your hands and then wash your face. Remember the dirty dumbbells and nasty yoga mat?
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Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. No need to foam, use a nice milk cleanser for sensitive skin like Sensiderm Cleansing Milk from G.M. Collin.
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Cold-compress or splashing skin with cold water to bring down redness. Cryotherapy is all the rage, and although this isn't quite as cold, it does help constrict the blood vessels and helps to bring your color back to normal faster. I keep my Hydramucine Treating Mist by G.M. Collin in the fridge for just this purpose.
So don't skip your workout, but make sure your skin gets some loving too. If you have any skin issues or questions after you've tried all this drop me a note. I'm always happy to help.
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