Exercise And Your Skin: Q & A's: How to properly care for your skin before, during and after a work out.
Q. How should I prepare my skin for exercising? Is it best not to wear makeup?
A. Prior to working out, you should wash your skin with a mild, non-drying cleanser, follow with an alcohol-free toner and lightweight oil-free lotion. It’s important that you do have the skin clean free of foundation makeup prior to working out, as it’s best to let the skin breathe. (Eye makeup and lipstick are fine to wear.) Should you really feel the need to wear foundation, try mineral-based powders as they are sweat-resistant, breathable and won’t clog the pores.
Q. Why is it necessary to wear moisturizer?
A. When you exercise, you lose so much water (by evaporation) out of the skin, leaving the skin dehydrated. Dehydrated skin increases surface lines and causes skin cells to die prematurely, leading to premature aging; as well as dead skin cell build up causing the pores to clog. By using a lightweight moisturizer, it will help retain the water in the skin. If you are exercising outdoors, it’s best to use a very light moisturizer with a sunscreen. Try Renée Rouleau Daily Protection SPF 30.
Q. Is it beneficial to use a misting spray while working out?
A. If you want, you can fill your alcohol-free toner in a spray bottle, and mist your skin every 15 minutes. Avoid using pure water sprays (like Evian) as they can actually attract the water out of the skin, but rather toners that have humectants like Sodium PCA, or Sodium Hyaluronate, that actually help keep water in the skin. Try Renée Rouleau Hydrating Mineral Toner.
Q. Should you avoid touching your face during workout? Especially when using the cardio or weightlifting machines?
A. The machines do breed bacteria, so it’s best to keep your hands off your skin as you don’t want to introduce bacteria to the skin which can result in new break outs, or the spreading of existing break outs.
Q. Should you always wear a headband or bandana to collect the sweat from not dripping down your face?
A. Headbands or bandanas, when used directly across the forehead, are not recommended as they can cause a backup of oil and perspiration in the pores, resulting in little clogged bumps or break outs. Try to keep your headband further back in your hairline, but not directly across the forehead (especially if you’re prone to having problematic skin).
Q. How important it is to drink lots of water before and after a workout...skin reasons?
A. Since you lose so much water from perspiration, it’s crucial that you replace it by drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after workouts. This can also help keep the skin dehydrated. The electrolyte-replacing drinks are especially helpful for re-hydrating the body.
Q. How should I care for my skin after I workout?
A. For oilier skins, wash with a non-drying gel cleanser as this will help to thoroughly remove oil, toxins and sweat. Avoid cleansing gels that contain Sodium or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate as these ingredients will dry out the skin. Try Renée Rouleau Gel Cleansers. For drier skins, wash with a lightweight cleansing lotion. Try Renée Rouleau cleansing lotions. Wipe your skin with an alcohol-free toner as normal over the skin and apply a moisturizer. If you have a lot of redness in your skin after your workout, look for moisturizers with vaso-constricting ingredients like Chamomile or White Tea to help to calm the skin down taking the pressure off of the capillaries. Try Renée Rouleau Stress Recovery Lotion or Azulene Gel Mask.
Which products are right for your skin? Check out our nine skin types.
For daily skin care tips, follow Renée on Twitter and join our Facebook page.
Contents copyright 2010, Renée Rouleau, Inc. All rights reserved.
PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph including a link to www.reneerouleau.com.
Information courtesy of www.reneerouleau.com, a website with useful skin tips and advice from Renée Rouleau, a trusted skin care expert and esthetician in Dallas, Texas. Her exclusive skin care line is based on nine skin types, rather than only dry, normal and oily, and has a loyal following of celebrities.