Improve Your Skin Health with Exercise

Better Skin Health is Another Good Reason to Exercise!

As an esthetician, I’m often asked for practical tips on maintaining skin health . There is one incredibly powerful treatment that can cost you little or nothing. Is available to everyone and works wonders for all types of skin at any age. This treatment is very often overlooked but really should not be ignored and is (drum roll please) exercise! We all know the multitude of reasons that exercise is good for you. Now you can add skin health as yet another reason to get up and get moving.

Help the Healing

For those of us plagued with breakouts and are concerned about scarring….read on. A preliminary study published in the Journal of Gerontology found that elderly participants who had followed a one month exercise routine experienced significantly faster wound healing times than study participants who had not done so. Among the most commonly studied health behaviors (e.g., smoking, diet, exercise), physical exercise is especially relevant to wound healing and healthy skin as it influences multiple components of the wound-healing system, including the immune system and our bodies ability to manage psychological stress.

Sweat it Out For Better Skin Health

The body only has so many ways to rid itself of toxins — the kidneys, the liver, and the skin. By increasing blood flow to the skin, cellular debris are more easily flushed out of the system. Sweating is almost like cleaning your skin from the inside out. Once you are done getting all nice and sweaty of course it’s extremely important to clean your skin. Leaving perspiration sitting on your skin for too long can cause sensitivity and irritation. Always shower after a workout to prevent bacterial or fungal infections that may occur from dirt becoming impacted in skin follicles. If you work out a few times a day, use a mild cleanser so as not to overly irritate your skin.

Get Your Beauty Sleep

Remember how well you slept the last time you had a really intensive workout? We don’t need to read any studies to know that exercise improves our quality, depth and duration of sleep. Dr. Leslie Baumann M.D, advises that both lack of sleep and stress prompt our bodies to produce a hormone called cortisol, which causes blood sugar levels in our bodies to rise. This can lead to weight gain and heart problems. Recent research is showing how the connection between cortisol production, stress and lack of sleep can affect our skin health.

• Wrinkles: Cortisol-caused blood sugar increases can accelerate the aging process! Excess sugar compromises the collagen in our skin which leads to wrinkles.
• Acne: Acne can also be exacerbated by cortisol that’s released when external factors affect our bodies.
• Dryness: Research has also shown that these hormonal surges can impair our skin’s barrier as well, leading to dryness, irritation and inflammation. All of which is less than desirable when it comes to maintaining  skin health.

Exercise More = Stress Less

The mind/body benefits of regular exercise and its ability to reduce stress may extend to your complexion. Stress is known to boost hormone production. It suppresses the body’s ability to heal. Regular workouts can keep stress under control. They may also help manage challenging skin health conditions. Though studies are small, some show that stress may worsen, if not actually trigger, acne. Sebaceous glands, which produce oil in the skin, are also influenced by stress hormones. Stress may also trigger flare-ups of psoriasis. When you’re feeling tense, let exercise keep any agitated frown lines at bay, too.

Just Glow

Your skin produces more natural oils after a good workout. These oils help skin look supple and healthy. Skip the blush. Exercise gives you that fresh, healthy skin glow. It makes people wonder what you’ve been up to!!

Keep in mind that exercise doesn’t have to leave you panting on the floor! A brisk walk in the fresh and some stretching can work wonders for you and your skin. Add in a friend the human or furry kind and your workout can help ease stress even more. Find the right exercise regimen that provides just the right level of challenge for you and be consistent. Whatever you choose, just keep moving! If severe breakouts are not improving, read our acne post and consider booking a acne facial with us.

---