It is common knowledge that there are many health benefits to exercise. Rather than simply increasing your overall health, it can also significantly impact your skin. Learning how exercise affects your skin can help you maximize the benefits, as well as mitigate the negative effects.
Effects of Exercise
Exercise does many things to your skin. Red skin is common and extremely normal after exercise. Blood vessels dilate to release heat during exercise, which is what causes the skin to become red. Exercise also decreases stress, which can help the skin. Excessive stress can affect skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Rosacea can also be triggered by elevated body temperatures. Exercise can also cause skin cells to regenerate more quickly, which can make the skin appear younger.
Preventing Problems
Exercise can impact pre-existing skin conditions, but that doesn’t mean you should skip the trip to the gym. Taking precautions can help prevent most of the negative effects of exercise. You should remove makeup prior to exercise to prevent it clogging your pores. Additionally, you should wash immediately after exercising. Lingering sweat and dirt can clog pores and result in breakouts.
Consistently exercising outside causes a significant increase in sun exposure. Ensure that you wear sunscreen whenever you go outside. Additionally, keeping your body temperature lowered can help prevent aggravating skin conditions. If you have a temperature-sensitive skin condition, like rosacea, you should work out inside under air conditioning. Keep a cold washcloth nearby and ensure that you stay hydrated.
Exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It can even help benefit your skin. However, exercise can also aggravate skin conditions, so taking care to protect your skin can significantly help prevent problems. To learn more about the ideal ways to protect your skin, contact us at Allen-Taintor Dermatology today!