Swimming, yoga or sweating it out in the gym—whatever your idea of workout may be, that blissful post-workout feeling is the same—sense of accomplishment and self-pride (waking up at 6 am was worth it). However, your skin isn’t always happy post your workout session. Yes, you do get the glow but you also get a one way ticket to the zit city! Workout acne is a real thing, but we’ll make sure it doesn’t keep you off the tracks.
Here are 5 skincare tips you can follow to make sure your workouts don’t lead to breakouts...
Go with a clean face
Before heading out to the gym, do yourself a favour and wipe every last bit of makeup and product from last night off your face. Makeup combined with sweat leads to breakout. Just a lightweight moisturiser and sunscreen should be enough.
Wipe away the sweat
Sweat breeds bacteria which cause acne, so it’s best to wipe it off. But touching your face with sweaty hands is a complete no-no. Toss a soft towel in your gym bag and wipe the sweat off every once in a while to keep the oil and sweat from settling into the pores.
Cleanse ASAP
As soon as you are done with your hot and heavy session, wash your face with a mild cleanser then and there. If your workout place doesn’t have the right place for it, keep facial wipes to cleanse dirt, sweat and oil from your face, neck and back and then wash off as soon as you get home.
Exfoliate
While you are getting your sweat on, your pores open due to raised body temperature. The sweat and oil clogs the pores, causing blackheads and acne. So make sure you use a mild scrub to unclog pores, clear out dirt and oil and remove dead skin cells.
Hydrate
We can’t stress this enough! Hydrated skin is healthy skin. Your skin loses moisture and dehydrates as you are getting the sweat on in the gym which also contributes to breakouts. Keep your skin hydrated inside out, by drinking water and treating your skin with a non-oily, hydrating moisturiser.
Written by Anjali Agarwal on Jun 24, 2019