When You Sweat a Lot: How to Keep Your Skin Clear

One inexpensive way to fight aging is to exercise daily. By increasing blood flow, eliminating waste, and sending more oxygen and nutrients, working out nourishes your skin cells and keeps them healthy. A regular exercise routine can also help you stave off chronic illnesses, as well as improve your overall quality of life.

There is no denying the benefits of exercise, but a sweat session can leave dirt, oil, and toxins on the skin. Sweating is normal when exercising, but it is not a good idea to let sweat linger or stay in your workout clothes for a while. This is especially true after an intense workout session or if you sweat profusely. 

Shower after working out

Don’t be content in just wiping down your sweat. If you want to keep your skin free from breakouts, take a shower after exercising. Keep in mind all that sweat from your skin and workout clothes may cause the yeast and bacteria to accumulate, resulting in bad odors and infection, as well as common skin conditions like acne. 

Experts say the best time to hop into the shower is 20 minutes after your workout ends. This is to give your body enough time to cool down properly. You can use that extra 20 minutes to rehydrate your body, start your stretching routine, or make a post-workout smoothie that you can drink after showering. 

Don’t forget to wash your face

This is not the same as splashing your face with water from the shower. Whether or not you suffer from breakouts, it is best to wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Our clinic’s own skincare line – Dr. Sylvia Skin Care – has specially formulated cleansers that can lift dirt and impurities without stripping your skin’s natural moisture.

If you’re in the market for a new cleanser, we recommend our Deep Cleanser with AHA, which is ideal for those with oily and problematic skin. It removes makeup, dirt, impurities, and excess oil, while also moisturizing and softening the skin. It can also help exfoliate dead skin cells and reduce blemishes. 

If you can’t wash your face right away, you can always carry with you a small bottle of micellar water. This liquid cleanser is applied with a cotton ball or pad, and can gently remove oil, dirt, and grime without needing water. 

Wash and replace your workout clothes

Always put on fresh and clean clothes before and after a sweat session. Re-wearing your workout apparel twice exposes your skin once more to the dirt, oil, and bacteria that can cause irritation and clog your pores. 

It can be tempting to wear the clothes again, especially if you didn’t get sweaty. It is, however, advisable, to wash any item of clothing you work out in if you want to prevent odors. The same also goes for your towel, socks, and underwear. 

Keep hair out of your face and neck

Tie your hair up to keep it out of your face and off your neck. This will also allow you to focus more on your workout routines. It is also recommended not to touch your hair too often to lessen the increase in oil and dirt that comes into contact with it. Below are a few tips on tying your hair:

• Go with soft braids or loose ties.
• Switch up your hairstyle (braids, topknot, low or high ponytail) to prevent splitting and breakage.
• Use bobby pins to keep loose strands out of your face.
• Don’t tie your hair too tightly; it can damage the strands and cause breakage.
• Don’t just use any elastic; use ribbon hair ties or silk scrunchies, which are gentler on your tresses. 
• Don’t use baseball hats; they collect sweat and create added heat on the scalp. 

Be proactive in treating your acne

If you suffer from breakouts that get worse after a sweat session, follow the tips mentioned above and take better care of your skin. This includes incorporating an acne treatment into your skincare regimen or using products that are suitable for your skin type.

You can also benefit from seeing a skin or aesthetic doctor for product recommendations and treatment options that can improve your skin condition. Cutis has several non-surgical aesthetic treatments that can help combat acne and improve scarring and hyperpigmentation. These include:

• VI Peel Purify
• Clarifying Facial with Sapphire
• Dermapen 4 Microneedling
• Laser Genesis Skin Therapy 
• Cutis TCA CROSS (Chemical Reconstruction of Skin Scars)

Schedule a consultation

Looking for ways to achieve clearer and more glowing skin? Browse through our blog for more skincare tips and product recommendations. You can also get in touch with us and book a consultation with one of our aesthetic doctors to learn which treatments are right for you.