Can exercise improve skin?

Scientific and moderate fitness can indeed produce positive improvements to the skin, but wrong fitness habits may aggravate skin problems, which cannot be generalized.

A beauty editor I met in the past two years stayed up late all the time working on articles. His face was as dark as a layer of gray, and his chin was closed. He applied nearly 20,000 yuan worth of functional essences but it didn’t feel any better. Later, his partner dragged him to the gym four times a week, doing 30 minutes of strength and 20 minutes of aerobics every day. The first thing she did after practicing for the first time was to wipe off the sweat, change clothes, and take a shower. After three months, her face was as clear as if it had been polished, and her mouth was almost completely gone. At first, she thought it was the new facial cream that worked, but when she went for a follow-up visit, the dermatologist immediately pointed it out and said that most of the credit should be attributed to regular exercise.

In fact, it is simple to put it bluntly. We usually sit for long periods of time, and the blood circulation rate is slow. The efficiency of supplying oxygen and nutrients to the cells in the dermal layer of the face is low, and the old metabolic waste materials are not discharged in time, just like the water pipe for watering the flowers is half blocked, and the water cannot be poured. On the roots, the flowers are of course wilted. When exercising, the entire circulation speed is increased. Not only the face, but also the cells of the whole body can receive more nutrients. If you stick to it for a long time, you will get that kind of translucency from the inside out, which cannot be obtained by applying any amount of highlighter. Moreover, regular exercise can help us stabilize the disordered cortisol. Many people get redness, swelling and acne when they are stressed. The essence is that elevated cortisol stimulates the crazy secretion of sebaceous glands. Last year, I stayed up for ten days in a row to prepare for the quarterly report, and three or four hard pimples broke out on my chin that were painful to the touch. Later, I resumed running at night three times a week, and the pimples gradually disappeared without applying anti-acne cream. This is the reason.

However, you must have seen many people complaining that "the more you exercise, the worse your face becomes." This is really not a problem of fitness, but a problem of stepping into a trap without realizing it. In order to lose weight quickly, a girl in my previous department danced for two hours of high-intensity exercise every day after get off work. After the workout, she sweated all over her face and didn't bother to wipe it off. She also wore an airtight sports mask all the time. Within two weeks, inflammatory acne broke out on her cheeks and jawline. When I went to see the doctor, she said that the long-term soaking and blockage of sweat had damaged the skin barrier. There are also those who pound the iron hard in pursuit of quick results. They practice every day until their whole body is sore and still push on. On the contrary, they will keep cortisol high, causing acne and hair loss. There are also many people who like to run outdoors. They don’t like wearing sunscreen on their faces, so they don’t wear anything at all. They stay in the sun for half an hour every day. Over time, they will suffer from photoaging, their faces will collapse quickly and they will develop sun spots. This is really not something that can be blamed on exercise.

I have been working out on my own for four years. In the first two years, I also fell into the trap of washing my face with cold water after training and wearing makeup to the gym. I suffered from several big acne. Later, I gradually found a rhythm that suits me: I will remove all makeup and sunscreen before training, and bring a pack of soft cotton towels. When I sweat, I can gently press it off, so as not to rub my face hard and damage the cuticles. , if you go cycling and running outdoors, you must wear a hat, ice sleeves and mask tightly. After training, when the sweat is almost gone, wash your face with lukewarm water, and then apply a mild moisturizing cream. Just stick to it. My sensitive skin, which was red and itchy before the season changed, is now very stable, and even the redness has faded a lot.

To put it bluntly, the effect of fitness on the skin is never black and white. If you find the right method, it can be the most cost-effective skin care tool. If you practice it randomly, it will become a skin killer.