Working Out: The Positive and Negative Effects on Skin (And How to Overcome Them)

Working out is one of the best things you can do for your body. It improves your health, boosts your energy levels, increases your strength, helps with weight loss, and enhances your appearance. However, working out has positive and negative effects on our skin. While some are temporary, others can be long-lasting if not managed properly. It is essential to evaluate both the benefits of working out and its adverse effects on our skin.

Exploring the Positive Effects

Incorporating exercise into your everyday routine not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, but offers many benefits to your skin. Let’s take a look at a few of the most noteworthy advantages of how working out can improve your skin’s texture.

#1. Supports Your Skin Nourishing Cells

One of the most common benefits of working out is increased blood flow to your skin as this causes more nutrients and oxygen to be delivered to your cells. An increase of nutrients and oxygen nourishes and promotes health, meaning your skin will look refreshed and radiant.

#2. Removes Unnecessary Toxins

Working out also improves circulation as strenuous activity makes your heart pump faster and blood vessels expand. These two actions help unwanted toxins leave your body by being flushed through your sweat glands.

#3. Improves Outcome of Chronic Skin Conditions

Adapting to a solid workout regimen reduces stress and helps manage emotions. Studies have shown that exercising regularly reduces stress levels by as much as 50%. If you suffer from a chronic skin condition like acne or rosacea, you will likely see an improvement in your symptoms after you start working out.

#4. Prevents and Reverts Signs of Aging

Any form of exercise helps stimulate collagen production. Collagen maintains the firmness and elasticity of your skin, and is responsible for giving your skin its youthful appearance. If you’re battling wrinkles and fine lines, exercise can help you look younger and minimize these signs of aging from appearing.

#5. Less Stress on Your Skin

Endorphins or the peptide hormone responsible for making you feel a general sense of well-being are released when you exercise. The release of endorphins help reduce stress, anxiety, and stimulate your brain to release dopamine. Endorphins and dopamine benefit the appearance of your skin as they keep it looking young and rejuvenated.

Understanding the Adverse Effects

While your skin can be affected in many positive ways from working out, there are also a few adverse effects that individuals experience. It’s recommended to become familiar with the following negative effects, and learn the best ways for you to avoid or manage them.

#1. Excessive Sweating

Sweating is a natural process that cleanses your body of unwanted toxins. However, excessive sweating can cause problems, such as:

• Dry, cracked, or peeling skin
• Clogged pores
• Bacteria buildup
• Dull appearance

#2. Chapped Lips

Whether you’re exercising outside in colder temperatures or inside at a high intensity, it’s important to recognize chapped lips early on. Excessive sweating and frigid temperatures can dry out your lips causing them to crack and peel. It’s best to avoid using lip balms and moisturizers during workouts as they can interfere with your skin’s ability to absorb moisture. Instead, use a petroleum-based product to protect your lips.

#3. Dry Skin

Regular water intake is a necessity when it comes to working out as any form of exercise not only dehydrates your body, but also your skin. If you don’t drink enough water, your skin will become dry resulting in unwanted cracking and peeling.

#4. Blemishes and Breakouts

Blemishes are usually caused by dead skin cells that collect under your skin. When you sweat, your skin naturally produces oil that dead skin cells stick to. As these dead skin cells accumulate over time, blemishes will form. An easy way to manage blemishes and breakouts if exercise is a regular part of your routine is to regularly wash your skin with quality skincare products.

#5. Redness

It’s not unusual for your skin to turn red after working out. This natural occurrence is caused by an increase in blood flow to your muscles. Additionally, sweat contains salt and minerals that also increase blood flow through your skin resulting in a flushed appearance.

Five Ways to Improve the Health of Your Skin

It is possible to overcome the adverse effects of working out by following these tips:

• Drink Plenty of Water. Drinking lots of water is one of the best ways to prevent dehydration, and cracked or peeling skin. If you want to look your best, it’s encouraged to drink eight, eight ounce glasses of water each day.

• Use Sunscreen. Sunscreens block our skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays. It’s encouraged to wear sunscreen before going outside as you can prevent sunburns and more.

• Avoid Lip Balms and Moisturizers. Lip balms and moisturizers contain ingredients that can interfere with your skin’s ability to absorb moisture from the surrounding environment. If you want to have healthy and beautiful skin, you should avoid using these products while working out.

• Wash Your Face Regularly. Excessively sweaty faces cause dead skin cells to build up quickly, which can result in unwanted blemishes and breakouts. If you want to avoid this, you must wash your face at least twice each day.
• Stay Hydrated. Hydration comes in many forms, whether it’s water or a healthy alternative. Staying hydrated helps your body absorb necessary nutrients, fluids, prevents muscle cramps, and other side effects of exercise.

Contact the Pros at Spa MD Today to Enhance Your Skin

Working out offers many benefits to our overall health and physical fitness. However, it can also harm our skin if we’re not familiar with the positive and negative effects. Whether you’re only experiencing skin problems or a little mix of both, it’s recommended to identify ways you can resolve these issues early on. If you have questions about how to care for your skin during exercise, we encourage you to contact the skincare professionals at Spa MD today for more information.