Hey loves,
As somebody who has been training for almost 8 years, I can attest to strength training’s impact on skin texture and clarity!
From my own personal experience with skin issues to seeing my friends and workout buddies go through with it, I have all your concerns covered in this guide!
In essence, this guide is going to help prevent you from having any insecurity-causing skin issues when your quest is to improve yourself and your physical appearance!
Strength training is great for your body, but it can be rough on your skin. Sweat, friction, and bacteria from gym equipment can cause breakouts, irritation, and dryness.
Here’s how to keep your skin healthy while lifting:
Sweat & Breakouts: Why Lifting Can Wreck Your Skin
Sweat mixes with bacteria and oil thereby clogging pores. This is especially pronounced in the summer with humidity increasing the amount of sweat that we experience in our face and body.
Furthermore, gym equipment is covered in germs, leading to acne and irritation. What makes this even more of a pressing issue is when one constantly touches their face during workouts.
Some towels or even athleisure clothing’s detergent can worsen allergies or irritation leading to rashes, hives and other skin isssues.
What to Do:
1) Wash your face before & after training: Don’t let sweat sit on your skin, shower as soon as you get home!
2) Use a clean towel: Wipe your sweat off but don’t rub as it will cause unnecessary friction and redness!
3) Change clothes ASAP: Sitting in sweaty clothes = more breakouts.
If you do find that you breakout around your body, check out this guide to treatments or medications for body acne.
Dry Skin & Redness: Strength Training Can Strip Your Skin
Heavy workouts and sweating can dehydrate your skin. Cold gyms or excessive hot showers make dryness worse.
Friction from weights, straps, and bands can cause red, irritated skin. This, in turn, creates unaesthetic appearing hands that can deter from all the hard work and effort spent into improving our appearance.
What to Do:
1) Moisturize: Use a light, non-greasy moisturizer after workouts. Good examples of a moisturizer brand for this are Cerave or Avene.
Look for one with as little fragrance or synthetic ingredients as possible in order to lessen the likehood of irritation.
2) Drink water: Hydrated skin starts from the inside.
3) Skip harsh cleansers: Use a mild face wash instead.
Calluses & Rough Hands: Why Strength Training Wrecks Your Grip
Also known as “gym hands”, the famous deadlift-created calluses are known as battle scars by dedicates gym-goers.
Pull-ups, barbells, and kettlebells create friction. Over time, this leads to rough skin, cracks, and sometimes bleeding.
While the gym hand is often a battle scar or status symbol to some, it may create health or aesthetic concerns for others.
What to Do:
1) Use a pumice stone: Smooth out rough skin after showers.
2) Apply hand cream: Keeps hands soft without making them slippery.
3) Use chalk sparingly: Too much dries out your skin. This one addresses power lifters or cross fitters who often use chalk to improve their grip on heavy compound or Olympic lifts.
Bacne & Body Acne: The Silent Killer of Confidence
The next skin-related issue one might face at the gym is backne or body acne. This type of acne is caused by bacteria from sweaty clothes and humidity.
The solution to this culprit is to shower immediately after your workout as not showering right after workouts makes breakouts worse.
Protein powders and supplements can sometimes trigger acne. Specifically, it is the dairy from either the milk or the whey that causes a hormonal fluctuation responsible for acne.
I had an issue with this especially as I was trying to gulp protein shakes to get my protein intake in.
What to Do:
1) Shower immediately: Use a salicylic acid body wash if needed. Salicylic acid as a solution or cream also works afterwards to remove the impurities responsible did the breakout.
2) Wear loose, breathable clothing: Let your skin breathe. The worst thing for your skin is for it to be trapped under sweaty layers of gym clothes, especially during the summer heat!
3) Check your supplements: Some protein powders contain acne-triggering ingredients. Look out for whey protein or milk as these compounds can trigger hormonal fluctuations.
Shaving & Skincare: The Hidden Gym Problem
Shaving before workouts can cause irritation which can cause an unsightly appearance for some. Secondly, sweat and friction make razor burn worse.
For men, beards trap sweat and bacteria, leading to breakouts. How do we solve this?
What to Do:
1) Shave at night, not before workouts: this will give your skin enough time to recover.
2) Use a gentle aftershave: Avoid alcohol-based ones.
3) Wash your beard: Use a mild cleanser to prevent buildup.
Sunscreen & Outdoor Training: Stop Damaging Your Skin
If you train outside, UV exposure adds up. Sweat makes sun damage worse by reflecting UV rays. Sun damage can cause premature ageing as well as breakouts.
Finally, some sunscreens clog pores, making breakouts worse. Here are a few things that you can do to mitigate the impact of this:
What to Do:
1) Use a non-comedogenic sunscreen: Make sure that it is lightweight and sweat-proof.
2) Reapply if training for long hours: Especially if you are sweating or training under the sun.
3) Wear a hat or long sleeves: You will need the extra protection without having to resort to a potentially greasy sunscreen.
The Gym Towel & Equipment Trap: Stop Spreading Bacteria
Gym towels can collect bacteria and spread acne. They can also be washed using allergy-inducing detergents that don’t react well with your skin.
Dirty gym equipment is full of germs that can irritate your skin. Numerous studies indicate that gym equipment can be as dirty as a toilet!
With shared yoga mats, benches, and machines that transfer sweat and oils being a reality, we must arm ourselves with sanitizer and a hygiene routine in order to mitigate the impact of this!
What to Do:
1) Use a clean towel every workout: Wash it after each use.
2) Wipe down equipment: Don’t trust that it’s clean.
3) Bring your own mat: Avoid skin contact with shared surfaces.
Supplements & Skin Health:
What You Put Inside Matters
Some protein powders and pre-workouts trigger acne. Specifically, if it is high in dairy it can worsen breakouts.
If you are taking any protein powders with whey or milk in it, then you are at risk of breaking out.
In simple terms, poor gut health = poor skin health. It is therefore crucial to keep homeostasis and a healthy environment in the gut in order to have gorgeous skin.
Here is a guide to foods that can improve your gut health and skin.
What to Do:
1) Choose clean supplements: Look for foods with minimal ingredients. Avoid ingredients that you don’t understand or that seem overly synthetic as they are likely going to cause inflammation.
2) Try cutting dairy: Try removing dairy and see if it improves your skin. You can do it in small steps instead of as a huge transformation, removing whey protein or a milk-based product every day.
3) Support gut health: Probiotics can help clear skin. You can find probiotics in yoghurt, kefir or fermented foods.
Post-Workout Skincare Routine: Keep It Simple
You don’t need a complicated 10-step routine, you just need to follow the basics.
Your Skin Glow Routine:
Before workout: Wash your face and apply a lightweight moisturizer.
After workout: Wash off any residual sweat and rehydrate with a gentle moisturizer.
At night: Use a gentle exfoliator 2-3 times a week if needed.
Conclusion
Strength training has numerous health and aesthetic benefits, but don’t let it wreck your skin or derail your glow up journey.
Make sure to keep your routine simple: wash, moisturize, and protect your skin!
Small changes in your routine make a big difference so take care of your skin like you take care of your muscles.
I hope that you enjoyed this blog post on Strength Training & Skincare: How to Keep Your Skin Clear While Lifting, please let me know what you thought about it in comments section below!
Leave a Reply