8 Easy Ways To Avoid Post Workout Acne
Exercise has so many health benefits for both the mind and body. Raising your heart rate and breaking a sweat increases oxygen and blood flow, bringing nutrients to the skin. Unfortunately, exercising also creates the perfect conditions for acne-causing bacteria to flourish. That’s because once sweat drys on your skin, dirt, oil, and bacteria get trapped in your pores, encouraging unwanted acne.
The good news is there are a lot of simple ways to avoid post-workout acne breakouts. And none of these tips involve giving up on exercise. Without further ado, let’s get into the tips that can help clear your skin and prevent future breakouts.
How To Avoid Post Workout Acne
Remove Makeup
On its own, makeup is already not great for your skin. But once you start sweating, you mix the makeup with dirt and oil, further clogging your pores with acne-breeding bacteria. The best-case scenario is to exercise with a clean, bare face. If that’s not an option, do your best to remove all makeup before your workout. Micellar water or oil-free makeup remover towelettes will do when soap and water aren’t an option.
Avoid Touching Your Face
Train yourself not to touch your face during your workouts. Really it will be of great benefit to any acne-prone skin to make not touching your face a habit. Dirt, oil, and germs are transferred from the hands to the face contributing to clogged pores.
Use A Clean Sweat Towel
A clean towel to wipe off sweat during and after your workouts is a great way to help avoid wicking sweat away with your hands. Just ensure your towel is always clean to avoid rubbing your skin with a bacteria-laden towel.
Pull Your Hair Back And Off Your Face
Natural hair oils and hair styling products can transfer onto your face and back, clogging pores, and leading to breakouts.
If you have long hair, try keeping it pulled back into a bun, braid, or ponytail. If your hair is on the shorter side, hair clips or a clean, breathable headband will keep bangs off your forehead. It will also stop sweat from dripping down and contributing to bacterial growth.
Always Wear Clean Workout Clothes
This might seem like a no-brainer, but I’m actually surprised at how often this happens, and so it needs to be said. Change into a fresh and clean set of clothes for every workout. Putting on dirty clothes full of dried sweat and bacteria is a shortcut to a new breakout.
Wipe Off Shared Equipment Before Use
When at the gym, wipe off any shared equipment, like benches, before and after use. The dried sweat, dirt, and oil of multiple people can make any shared equipment a nasty breeding ground for acne-causing bacteria. Yoga mats should be cleaned after each and every class—as well as helmets, shoulder pads, and guards after every sports practice or game.
Oil-Free Sunscreen
If you enjoy taking your workout outdoors, be sure to cover exposed skin with sunblock thoroughly. Exposing any current blemishes to the sun can cause hyperpigmentation that will take longer to heal and fade. Look for an oil-free formula that says “non-comedogenic” or “won’t clog pores.”
Post Workout Shower
Always change out of sweaty workout clothes ASAP. Take a shower, wash your face, and soap up well to rinse away all the acne-causing bacteria. If you are unable to shower immediately, you should, at the very least, wash your face with a salicylic acid-based cleanser. And wipe your shoulders, back, and other acne-prone areas, with salicylic acid pads. This will remove any dirt and oil from your skin and keep your pores clear.
Practicing good hygiene while working out is essential to keeping your skin clear of acne breakouts. I hope you found these tips helpful in ridding yourself of current acne flare-ups. As well as preventing further exercise-related acne from developing.
If you’re looking for more motivation to work out, you may find Finding Motivation To Work Out – Easy Hacks and Tips and How To Workout As a Single Mom to be helpful!
Xx Monti
