Does Exercise Have Any Impact on Acne?
The Acne and Exercise Connection
Think acne and exercise have nothing to do with one another? You might want to think twice. Acne is definitely impacted by your exercise habits -- in both good and bad ways. If you have acne, here are some things you need to know...
Two Stories
If you ask two different people whether exercise causes or prevents acne, you might get two different answers. Some people insist that sweat helps prevent acne, pushing debris from your pores (cleansing them from the inside out). Others insist that sweat clogs your pores, actually causing acne and not preventing it. Who's right? They both are.
How Sweat and Acne Work
First of all, sweat doesn't exactly clog your pores - the oil from your sebaceous glands do. Sweat glands and sebaceous glands are two different things. However, even though sweat glands don't necessarily cause clogged pores, the extensive sweat caused by intense exercise can aggravate acne if you don't wash your face afterwards.
Why do you need to wash your face after you exercise? Because while sweat in and of itself might not cause acne, the debris (such as salt) that it leaves behind may clog your pores, causing acne breakouts.
More Good than Harm
What exercise does do is release toxins from your body, which can help alleviate your acne condition. If you want your skin to benefit from your exercise regimen, keep hair pulled off your face during your exercise and then wash your skin afterwards (with an acne-friendly cleanser ) when you're done.
Bottom line? Exercise is a good thing -- whether you have acne or not. Exercise is definitely important, and exercising regularly can indeed help your body, and your acne, as long as the above tips are kept in mind.