I recently wrote a post on how exercising can improve the health of your skin by reducing the amount of stress hormones in the body.  The gym is not the only place we sweat though, and as temperatures heat up I am having more and more people asking about the effects of sweating on the skin and whether it is a benefit to detoxify, or if it actually causes more breakouts.

Our bodies really only produce sweat for one reason and that is to regulate our temperature by cooling us down.  It is true that sweating also has detoxifying effect but this is not the main benefit of this capability.  Additionally, sweat and oil glands on the skin are separate.  Sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicles all over the body produce the oil that protects our skin, and if clogged can result in breakouts.  We have an additional 3 million sweat glands so producing more sweat has little effect on the amount of oil that is produced - and more sweat does not equate to clearer pores.

In fact sweat (whether it is during exercise or simply due to hot temperatures) leaves behind salt on the skin when the water evaporates.  This can irritate acne prone skin as well as dry or dehydrated skin.  It is best to wash your face as soon as possible after sweating, but as always, it is important not to over cleanse your skin.  It is best to rinse with lukewarm water and use a soft cloth to buff away build up.  If skin is not too dry or prone to dehydration a gentle cleanser can be used.