How Does Sweating from Exercise Affect Skin Health?
As we all know, exercise can improve the body's basic metabolism. Many people believe that a lot of sweating during exercise can improve skin condition. But some people also said that excessive exercise can lead to the skin becoming flabby and lusterless, losing elasticity, and appearing much older.
Everything has two sides. Just as some people become healthier through exercise, while others are full of injuries. What is the relationship between exercise and skin condition? Today, we will tell you about it from three points: how water carries things and how it covers things. Once you know these points, you will definitely make your figure better while your skin also becomes shiny, hydrated, and elastic.
- What are the effects of exercise on the skin?
- How to clean the skin before and after exercise?
- What are the different effects of different types of exercise on the skin?
What are the effects of exercise on the skin?
When the body starts to exercise, the heart rate speeds up, the muscles start to work, and the body temperature starts to rise. Because humans are warm-blooded animals, they will use sweating and urination to remove excess heat to maintain the balance of internal body temperature. During sweating, the pores of the skin open, and sweat flows through the pores to the skin surface, eventually evaporating into gas.
The main components of sweat, besides water, are a lot of sodium chloride (salt) and urea. When the body sweats actively during exercise, it can remove excess impurities and grease in the pores. But in the process of sweating, the pH of the skin surface will increase and become alkaline. After the sweat evaporates, the remaining sodium chloride will exist in the form of white crystals. At this time, if it is not cleaned in time, it will easily mix with the oil on the skin surface, blocking the pores and causing a series of skin problems. This negative impact has little to do with exercise itself. Just imagine if you took a hot steam bath and didn't shower immediately, and then wore clothes, you would definitely feel very uncomfortable. Sensitive skin might even have acne.
The University of McMaster, Canada, conducted a study that found that people who exercised 3 times or more per week had a significantly thinner epidermis, which was beneficial for sweating, and the dermis tissue was relatively thick. This is the ideal skin state. According to this survey, the effect of exercise on the skin is that on one hand, it clears the impurities and grease in the pores through sweating. This is a positive effect, which will not damage the skin, but also actively increases the skin's metabolic rate, which is good for the skin's health. As for the cleaning work after exercise, it's another matter.
With the popularization and spread of short video apps, a large number of 'fitness female bloggers' have emerged online, relying on various posing to attract traffic. Let's not talk about their outfits and the inaccuracy of their fitness knowledge. Let's talk about them wearing heavy makeup to exercise. Everyone knows that exercise, sweat, (water, sodium chloride, urea), oil and air-borne impurities mixed together is a disaster for the skin. If it happens to be sensitive skin, it's just... terrible.
Before exercise, the correct approach is to first clean the skin, and washing your face with facial cleanser is the simplest and most effective way. Remove the existing impurities and oil on the skin surface, so that the sweat during exercise can open the pores fully, so that the impurities will not sneak in. Note that if you must wipe your face dry before training, it will make the skin appear rougher during exercise. During exercise, you should also replenish moisture every 15-20 minutes, preferably 150-200ml.
After exercise, you must also clean the skin as soon as possible. First, rinse off the sodium chloride crystals on the skin surface with clean water, then use a facial cleanser suitable for your skin type to clean, and finally apply a moisturizing cream before bed to avoid the skin becoming rough due to excessive sweating after exercise.
What are the different effects of different types of exercise on the skin?
If you like outdoor sports, you must always apply sunscreen. Many people don't think it's 'girly' to apply sunscreen, but these two things have nothing to do with each other. If your outdoor training is more than 2 hours, you must wear a hat and sunscreen clothes. The damage caused by ultraviolet rays to the skin is not what a fitness blogger can explain, but the fact that skin becomes black and rough due to outdoor training has happened to me. Normal running, night running, which cause slight skin damage during the process of exercise, do not need to be worried, because the skin has its own repair function, and exercise can also speed up the skin's metabolism, so proper rest and exercise before and after exercise are important.
If you exercise in a gym, you should choose a well-ventilated gym with good air quality, preferably with windows for natural airflow. I will not choose underground gyms unless the ventilation system is very good and the ventilation frequency is timely.
Also, if it is a pollen or smoggy day in the spring, you should avoid outdoor exercise. Besides allergies, it can also cause unseen blockages in the pores. These are the situations where exercise might cause skin problems.
Finally
Exercise is for maintaining health. Exercise is not for getting fit or living forever. When you expect too much from something, no matter how positive it is, it will eventually disappoint you.
The same goes for the effect of exercise on skin health. They are not necessarily related. However, exercise can coordinate the body's endocrine system and reduce hormonal imbalances, which can indirectly reduce many skin problems.
As for the current popular saying that exercise can make you prone to acne, my explanation is that exercise itself is not necessarily related to acne. But inappropriate exercise clothing, not cleaning up after exercise, eating some health products and weight loss products, disrupting the endocrine system and increasing the risk of acne.
Thank you for reading and following me, I am fitness coach Limy, if you have any questions about exercise, you can leave me a message or comment, I'm happy to answer your questions!
