The Good, The Bad and the Ugly To Getting Your Sweat On

 

It’s officially bathing suit season! Living on the beach (ok, lets be honest, it’s not ON the beach, but it’s close enough) gives you a perpetual viewing of bodies to admire and aspire to. Those damn cheeky  bottomed bathing suits got me working hard this off season so I could keep up with the trends. And with all my working out this spring, my skin kinda freaked out. It was weird, because I never really had issues with my skin (except for the occasional period breakout and forehead lines), but it made me start to not only think about all the things I recommend to my patients, but research how working out and sweat can really effect your skin. With determining to always get my sweat on outside, I personally saw the good, the bad and the ugly with how your skin reacts with working out. Read on to find out what knowledge I earned alongside my 8 minute mile.

 

The Good

There were times this spring that my skin had a perpetual glow. When I was running 3-4 miles a day, my skin looked tight, fresh and radiant. I flush extremely easy and hold my redness for a good hour at least. Running was no exception, and at first, I was embarrassed that I looked like I was going to die after a morning jog (yeah, it wasn’t pretty). But after a few days, I realized the constant blood circulation to my face was helping with collagen production and an overall healthier looking complexion. Facials and chemical peels that are designed with getting a little pink in mind were doing the same thing, but I was getting two squirrels with one acorn (I don’t like birds but I would never throw stones at them). My skin never looked healthier, my legs never looked tighter, this running thing was looking up and my skin looking good!

 

The Bad

When I ran, I tried to focus on the positive. I was ensuring my body was aging gracefully, I felt happier with my moods and had less swinging around “that time”, and my skin was glowing. But, my botox wore off a few weeks sooner than I hoped, of coarse right around the Millefiori wedding! Since I’ve been treating for years (thank God for Iris and her magic liquid gold), I can usually get by for a good 4 ½ months before seeing a need to get another dose. But once I got serious about my running routine, AGH, my wrinkles were back in under 4 months! Botox is a medication that is metabolized, and when you workout and do cardio, your metabolism increases. When you metabolism increases, it will metabolize calories from food(good), alcohol (ok), and botox (NOOOO) quicker. We have a few body builders and marathon runners that come into the office, and usually need botox dosing sooner than our yogi’s, but everything comes with a price I suppose. Man, what a bummer. But a non-wrinkled forehead and a tight little tush at the same time is totally worth it.

 

The Ugly

Ok, this is where I had to end up following my own homework. I had teenage pimples few and far between, but it happened and my friend’s had it, so it seemed ok. Being in your 30’s and worrying about your botox wearing off AND PIMPLES, this is where my sweat obsession turned ugly. Of coarse I wore sunscreen every-time I went for my run, and was diligent about my hat. Well, as my runs grew longer and more frequent, these little whiteheads and under skin pimples on my forehead started to form and never go away. All along my hairline, my texture was bumpy and not up to perfect smooth standards that I hold myself to. I tried my clarisonic more often, I wore less makeup, and to no avail, my skin got more and more congested. Sweat unfortunately soaks in surfaces, like my two favorite dry-fit ball-caps, and putting them on every-time I ran only added to the bacteria festering to the inside of my hats. EWWW. It sparked a TJMAXX run to pick up a weeks worth, but I couldn’t believe I wasn’t following my own advise. Washing my ball caps after every use and washing my face with a cleansing wipe as soon as I’m done running helped tremendously and I haven’t had a forehead bump since following my skincare homework!

 

Taking care of your skin is just like taking care of your body. It takes diligence, hard-work and the mindset that it is a lifestyle, not a fad. Once you’ve reached your happy place or goal weight, it takes work to maintain. But you only have one body and you only got one face, so do right by both and take care of them. Feeling like the summer grind has your skin in freak out mode? Stop by our office for a complimentary consultation and see what we can recommend for your summertime skin regimen. (321) 821-4778.

 

Till Next Time Melbourne!
Love the Skin You’re In.
-A