Our Ultimate Guide To Pre And Post-Workout Skincare
Being active has many benefits - it can improve your brain health, reduce your overall risk of disease, allow you to maintain weight, strengthen your muscles, and positively affect your mental health. Those feel-good endorphins that come alongside exercise can make us feel great, and not to mention, exercise is an important part of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. However, what could our workout routines be doing to our skin? In this article, we will explore how you can get the most out of your time at the gym while still avoiding those dreaded breakouts.
How Can Your Workout Affect Your Skin?
As mentioned above, exercising is vital when it comes to maintaining our overall wellness. Particularly with 2023 just starting, many of us are hitting the gym extra hard as part of our New Year's resolution. However, not taking the right precautions before working out can actually be detrimental to the health of our skin.
Exercising can cause acne problems to flare up, skin infections, and affect a long list of other skin issues. Whilst the pros of working out are long, all that sweat can cause breakouts, general chafing, and clog up our pores. So, how do we avoid our skin taking the brunt of our new training routine?
Should You Do Your Skincare Before Or After A Workout?
We are here to answer the age-old question - ‘Should I do my skincare routine before or after working out’. Before getting busy at the gym, you probably think about removing your makeup, which is, of course, a must. Before exercise, and after exercise, we recommend using a gentle cleanser to remove any makeup you may have been wearing. This will prevent any future breakouts, and stop your pores from getting clogged up. When removing your foundation, or any other product you may have on your face, remember to treat your skin with care. Try not to tug, particularly around the eye area, as you take off your makeup.
When you exercise and work up a sweat, it opens up your pores and allows for the potential makeup, bacteria, and dirt to clog them up. This can result in the worsening of pre-existing skin conditions, such as acne. That is why we suggest cleaning your skin not just before, but also post-workout.
The Ultimate Post-Workout Skincare Routine
Before going to your favourite workout spot, you should always cleanse your skin. After all, you wouldn’t go straight into your exercise routine, without stretching first, right? Treat your pre-workout skincare routine the same. It’s an essential part of getting healthy - your skin included. But what about after your workout? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this ultimate post-workout skincare routine.
1. Start By Cleansing
Not only is cleansing your skin good for your pre-workout routine, but it is also essential for keeping your skin clean after you’ve broken a sweat. Cleansing your face as soon as you can after your workout removes any sweat and dirt that may have entered your pores. recommend the gentle, yet effective cleanser, SUZANOBAGIMD™ Foaming Facial Cleanser. This formula deeply cleans and removes dirt, as well as oil build-up, makeup, and environmental impurities, without being overly harsh on the skin.
2. Follow With A Toner
Much like you might do at the gym, the next step in our post-workout skincare routine is to tone. The SkinCeuticals Blemish & Age Defense is great to use before pumping some iron as it has been perfectly formulated to fight back on blemish-prone skin and acne breakouts. Pro tip - You can also throw this in your bag at the gym to wipe any sweat away and quickly freshen up.
3. Don't Forget To Hydrate!
When we sweat, we lose a lot of essential moisture. Whilst water is ideal for keeping the inside of the body nourished, our skin also tends to need some TLC after the gym. In order to get that glow we are after, we recommend giving your skin the drink it deserves with the Obagi Hydrate. It provides long-lasting, all-day hydration and will leave your skin smooth and healthy.
4. Protect Your Skin
Even if you are only going from your house to the gym, make sure to apply your SPF to protect against the sun's UV rays and any potential sun damage. The Obagi360 HydraFactor SPF 30 will protect as well as thoroughly nourish your skin.
5. Refresh And Spritz
Before you leave the house give your skin a spritz with the Dr. Barbara Sturm Hydrating Face Mist. This lightweight, fine mist is blended with Hyaluronic Acid and Antioxidant Purslane to provide the skin with an on-the-glow freshness boost and protect it from environmental pollutants.
Dr. Barabra Sturm’s Hydrating Face Mist is perfect for anybody looking to achieve intense, immediate, and long-term hydration with a plumping effect that reduces the formation of wrinkles and leaves the skin looking refreshed and radiant.
At Skinstation, we believe you can keep that post-workout glow all day without having to cause your skin to break out, or suffer from those dreaded clogged pores. In 2023, whilst we focus on our fitness goals, let’s also remember to take care of our skin.
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