Your Skin Needs Care Too

Dear Athlete: Your Skin Needs Care Too 

Athletes are strict with their diet and exercise routine and hyper-focused on overcoming limits – but they often forget to pay the same attention to their skin. See what care lovers of physical activity should take to keep their bodies active, minds healthy, and skin beautiful and healthy.

However, athletes’ skin often does not reflect the same vigour and shows signs of wear and tear suffered from heavy training routines carried out for years on and off the tracks, gyms, beaches, courts, and swimming pools.  

We brought some care for you, who love to move around and sweat your shirt, take before, during, and after your favourite sport. After all, the body is only in perfect shape when all of it – including the skin, the largest organ in the body – is in balance—well taken care of and performing its duties in the best possible way.  

 Before

1. Cleaning

Before starting training, wash your face with warm water and a soap that respects the skin’s pH. It will ensure fat-free, unclogged pores to eliminate all the sweat to come. Remember: clogged pores can cause inflammation and lead to acne. It is even more essential for those who do activities at night to remove the residues – from makeup or pollution – accumulated on the skin.  

2. Protection from the sun

It’s never too much to repeat. If you go out in the sun or go to the gym, protect yourself from blue light and ultraviolet rays, which can cause premature ageing and skin cancer. The best way is to opt for products that protect against blue light and sunscreens that resist sweat with at least SPF 30. Ah! And don’t forget to reapply them after 2-3 hours of exercise.

During

1. Light

Clothes that don’t obstruct the exit of sweat are essential so that the body doesn’t get “soggy” and the skin doesn’t have its pH unbalanced. Fabrics that allow the skin to “breathe” and have UV protection are the most suitable for outdoor training, where aggressors can affect – and a lot – the health of the skin.  

 After

1. Clean clothes 

Again: sweaty clothes can make it difficult for the skin to “breathe,” blocking the pores and causing folliculitis, popularly known as “ingrown hair.” Moisture from clothing in prolonged contact with the skin can also cause dermatitis (or “diaper rash”) and ringworm in certain areas that are less ventilated and with more friction, such as the groyne, thighs, armpits, and feet. Taking off socks and shoes right after sport also makes all the difference to avoid scaling and even proliferation of fungi in the area, the so-called “athlete’s foot.”  

 2. Bath

With the clothes off, nothing is more refreshing and beneficial for your skin than a good shower – always at a mild temperature so as not to harm the hydrolipidic layer, our protective layer that must always be preserved. 

3. Hydration

Cleansed body, it’s time to rehydrate and ensure skin is nourished and in top shape again. Products that stimulate the production of collagen (which maintains the structure of the skin) and have antioxidants, fighting free radicals caused by the sun, are great options to keep the skin firm and healthy, with smoothed lines and wrinkles.  

Physical practice, done regularly and carefully, contributes a lot to the health of the body and skin. Sport improves the immune system, neutralises free radicals – which cause diseases to the body and attack the skin -increases blood circulation, reduces stress, and improves sleep, disposition and self-esteem. Even the production of hyaluronic acid is stimulated in physical activity, leaving the skin fresh and hydrated! Sweat, in turn, carries a series of dead cells and toxins out of the body. So the benefits are many! Practice sports – but, of course, without neglecting your skin.

Also, Read : Top 10 Australian Athletes to Watch in the Olympics Games in 2020

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