Have you ever wondered how to prevent acne after working out? In this post, I’ll answer all your skincare questions for people who sweat with the help of a professional esthetician.
So you’re working out… But how’s your skin? A big problem I see so many women struggle with (including myself) is that sweating seems to coincide with skin blemishes and breakouts.
As someone who is dedicated to their workout routine, I can honestly say I place a higher focus on strengthening my body over having clear skin. But after a while, I started to become self-conscious of how bad my skin had gotten. It seemed to get worse and worse the more I’d workout.
A Little Background:
One day after a sweaty kickboxing sesh (years ago), I took one look in the mirror and gasped. This is what I look like? Talk about a confidence whiplash. I went from crushing some Thai pads to barely recognizing myself in the mirror. I was so embarrassed I walked out of the bathroom with my head down, hair in my face, didn’t make eye contact with anyone as I B-lined it to the door.
Once I got home I began searching the internet for what to do to prevent acne breakouts after working out.
I began searching…
Who can I go to, to help me with this problem? Do I need a dermatologist? Is it that serious? Am I overreacting? What’s an esthetician?
My roommate at the time informed me of the most wonderful facial ever done by the most lovely individual – Christiana Rojas.
I was skeptical. Very skeptical. I didn’t think another (now more expensive) treatment would work for me after many before had failed.
Getting professional help
They offered a consultation appointment first. She listened to my journey, my struggles, and ultimately said, it will take a while but I can help you.
I thought, well, if I drop this money now and it doesn’t work, I’ll know for sure its not what I need. But if does work, then well, that’s amazing of course. So I bit the bullet and bought the Acne Clinic program.
I spent the next 6 months with Christiana seeing her every two weeks (which is intensive).
In that time, my skin was transformed.
To this day it ceases to amaze me how after just a month I saw improvement. After two months I was blemish free. After four months my acne scars had faded and my overall skin health was balanced, generally acne free, and glowing.
Me with glowing skin?!?
So, I’ve been hooked ever since. But still, the cost of seeing an esthetician is pricey no doubt. I couldn’t afford to maintain going that often. At best, I could do once a month but even that was a lot for me.
I know so many others have experienced the same embarrassing breakouts as me and can’t afford to get these “elective” treatments regularly.
I talked to my friend and esthetician Christiana about how to prevent acne after working out and what I could do when I wasn’t able to do my acne clinic on the regular. She said it’s especially important to maintain a good skincare routine when you workout and sweat like you do.
I asked her some of my million questions about skincare and skin health as it relates to people who workout, sweat, and tend to break out.
Here’s our conversation:
What are some tips for someone who is an avid gym-goer to ensure their skin is in tip-top shape?
- Hands off your face. Don’t touch your face when you also touch gym equipment full of germs, oils, and bacteria.
- Towel – bring your own that is washed with skin approved detergent.
- Make-up remover. Reduce wearing make-up at the gym. A lot of makeup has pore cloggers, which is not good when you are sweating. When your face is full of makeup, your skin can’t breathe.
- Drink water – while your circulation is going, flush out those toxins.
What happens to your skin when you sweat?
When you’re sweating your pores are open, regulating heat, sweating out toxins and water, skin is more susceptible to bacteria which causes acne. For example, I don’t love that people do hot yoga all the time because they are sweating out all the good water your skin needs. You are losing much needed hydration when you sweat that often.
Does sweat cause breakouts?
No. Our bodies produce sweat/oils. That’s not going to harm us. But if you are wearing make-up, touch your face, use products that cause breakouts or detergents in towels, those can cause issues.
What are the major things to avoid for acne-prone workout enthusiasts?
In addition to the above, avoid all whey, soy, and dairy. Make sure to check your protein bars or shakes or other supplements.
Stay out of the steam room. Why? It’s hot and steamy which is a breeding ground for bacteria. Acne is an inflammation of the skin, the heat promotes inflammation. If you are acne prone you’d want to do more inflammation reducing things like icing vs. steaming which exacerbates it.
If I’m trying to prevent acne after a workout, how important is a skincare routine?
It’s important for everyone to have a home care routine daily no matter what. The basics are cleanse, tone, and moisturize. For people who sweat a lot, you are losing hydration and sweating out toxins. Make sure you know your skin type (dry vs oily). If you are dry I’d recommend a tinted moisturizer or just moisturizer.
Which tinted moisturizer?
Bare Minerals tinted moisturizer
If dry, add a rose hydration spray
Favorite products you can’t live without?
- SPF or tinted SPF (at least 30). The sun only responds to 30 for a time period which is why they tell you to re-apply. There are just more chemicals in a 50 or 60 SPF, doing more harm than it is good. Your safe bet is SPF 30.
- Water, make it a spa water or cucumber to make it yummy if you don’t like the taste of water
- IV liquid packets – equivalent to drinking four glasses of water
- SPF lip balm – this one is reef safe.
- Supplements – vitamins, probiotics, zinc, fish oil
- Rose spritz
- Jade roller or icing with real ice
- Strong home care regimen
- Moisturizing lotion before the gym
- Exfoliating gloves – removes dirt, oil, sweat, and exfoliates skin
- Deodorant – Kopari. Natural or not, you choose. We have two sweat glands oil and water. Stress sweating is the oil. Water is more physical.
Best acne remedy?
Don’t pick. Ice. spot treat.
What is icing? Why do you ice?
Icing your face is literally taking a cube of ice (or jade roller kept in the freezer) and rubbing it all over your face. Icing reduces inflammation.
Inflammation and bacteria thrive on heat so when you do the opposite it reduces inflammation greatly. It wakes the skin up.
Side note, I wrote another blog post on icing my face and the impact it’s made for me. Check out the post to see why I LOVE ICING!
Does spot treating work? What are my spot treat options?
Yes it works. Picking the right spot treat for your skin type is important. Go to an esthetician if you aren’t sure or have never had a professional opinion.
Benzoyl peroxide is an exfoliator and antibacterial. Don’t want to use too much, once a day max and depends on your skin type. Consult with an expert to find out what’s best for you.
And no toothpaste doesn’t work. It just dries the heck out of it.
What do you use to spot treat? Where can I get that?
The two most common spot treatment ingredients are benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Look for products that have one of the two.
Benzoyl peroxide kills P. acnes bacteria in pores. For spot treatment, I look for something with benzoyl peroxide. Face Reality acne med with sulfur is what I use personally.
Salicylic acid is a derivative from aspirin so it works super fast. It removes dead skin cells that are clogging pores. Salicylic acid cleans out all the skin trapped in the pore and dissolves the skin from the pore.
Does popping a zit help it heal faster? What does it do?
It can but it depends on who pops it and how it’s popped. Attacking your zit before it’s got a visible whitehead is never a good idea. Red inflammation isn’t the time to pop. Don’t mess with it. If you don’t see an exit point available don’t do it. Seek a professional whenever possible.
Don’t use just your fingers because your fingernails have bacteria and they are too sharp and can tear the skin, which leads to scarring. When you use your nails, you can make the lesion worse and therefore, it will take longer to heal. Use q-tips, a tissue wrapped around fingers, a cotton square, a finger condom or plastic gloves.
How do I know what skincare system is best for my skin?
The only true way is to consult with your esthetician, ask for a professionals advice. Email me christiana@bravebeautyspa.com
How do I know if I need an Esthetician or Dermatologist?
Something that needs medical attention or medication an esthetician can’t prescribe. Example: psoriasis, eczema, staph, sometimes acne can turn into staph, Dermatitis, moles, Skin cancer signs.
Christiana is a licensed esthetician and the owner of Brave Beauty Spa in San Diego, CA.
