Exercising is important for everyone. In fact, health and beauty have a deep relationship with each other. Healthy beauty is, in fact, true beauty. But something that is great for your body should not harm how you look. And yet, sometimes, sweating it out in the gym or elsewhere to keep fit can damage your skin. Surprised? Don’t be. It is only science.
Exercising makes you sweat, and opens the pores on the skin. If the pores remain open and attract grime, grease and dust, it can wreck your skin. If you want to ensure that your skin looks beautiful and feels great, it is important to follow a step-by-step skincare regime for after your exercise sessions. From taking showers to applying the right products, there’s a lot you can do to make sure that exercising also helps you become more beautiful.
One must ensure that the post-workout goodness reflect on your skin as its inner glow and also avoid skin problems. Here are some tips to let that workout glow reflect on your skin:
1. Workout Without makeup
Yes, vanity is important. But if vanity is ruining your skin, you need to rethink. Sweating is natural during exercising. In fact, sweating helps your body flush out the toxins when you work out. It is natural that the skin on your face will perspire too. Imagine how the skin will feel and look if you have foundation, blush on, mascara and what have you when you work out. Also, these products block the pores so that even free sweating is not possible and these clogged pores then lead to breakouts and pimples on the face. So make sure that you have no makeup on your skin when you exercise. If you really must have makeup on, it should strictly be only a moisturizer – and a water-based one, not tinted! A waterproof mascara or eyeliner and a lip balm are the only other cosmetics you should use on your face when you are sweating it out.
2. Shower Immediately After A Gym Session
Many people postpone a bath or shower after finishing their exercise. This is a cardinal mistake. Again, the main reason is the sweat. Your pores are open, the sweat is out and the toxins are all on your skin. You should clean them off immediately! Remove your sweaty workout clothes immediately. If you cannot immediately take a shower, use medicated cleansing wipes or tissues to wipe your face, chest, and breakout-prone areas to at least remove the bacteria that could cause rashes, acne or pimples.
The best cleanup after a workout is a cold shower. If it is winters also, the water should tepid and lukewarm at best. This is because hot water may make the skin dry and itchy. Cold water also invigorates the pores that exercising has opened. Best to use a shower gel, instead of a soap to clean your skin and also keep it soft. Additionally, apply a light moisturizer immediately after a shower to prevent dryness.
3. Use The Steam Room
Most gyms have a steam room facility for a reason. The warm steam soothes the muscles after a workout. It also helps unclog pores, remove impurities and helps acne issues. Steaming is a great muscle relaxant and will help you get a rosy glow.
4. Re-hydrate your skin
Immediately after a shower is the best time to hydrate your skin. Take a few minutes and apply a generous amount of moisturizer or body lotion, depending on how dry your skin is. This will keep your skin supple and moist. If you have dry or mature skin, add a few drops of almond, neem or apricot oil to make the moisturizer even more effective. Drinking a glass of lukewarm water also helps rehydrate your skin from within.
Guest Author: Dr B L Jangid
(Dr B L Jangid, MD Skin is one the top dermatologists of Delhi, with more than 10 years of experience in new treatments, technology and research into skin and hair problems, skin surgeries, hair transplant surgeries, Lasers and anti-ageing. He practices at SkinQure in Saket, New Delhi)
