Should you wear makeup when you exercise?
The ideal skin for exercise is clean and natural, unencumbered by makeup. This is when the skin can "breathe", pores are open, allowing sweat to escape easily, giving a rosy, healthy look and a feeling of maximum comfort.
You’ve probably heard that removing your makeup before you work out is the best way to protect your skin. But we don’t always work out at home. When you’re at the gym or taking a class, it’s tempting to skip the makeup removal process, even compromising on wearing just a little makeup or thinking that washing your face thoroughly after a workout won’t hurt. But is that really true? A recent study has provided a clear answer: going makeup-free while exercising is absolutely necessary to protect your skin.
Exercising with makeup on can cause dry skin and breakouts
The study, conducted by Professor Seok-ho Lee of Texas A&M University and Professor Park Dong-seon of the Korea National University of Education, explored the effects of exercising after applying foundation on the skin. In the experiment, subjects wore half of their faces and ran on a treadmill for 20 minutes. Afterwards, the T-zone (forehead and area between the eyebrows) and U-zone (cheekbones) were analyzed to compare the areas with and without makeup.
The results showed that when wearing makeup, the moisture and sebum levels on the skin increased significantly. However, compared to the area without makeup, the skin in the makeup area had less oil and smaller pores. The research team concluded that the foundation creates a barrier that prevents moisture from evaporating, making the skin appear more hydrated. However, this also means that the skin is clogged, causing a decrease in oil production, leading to dryness, clogged pores, increased sebum production and the risk of acne.
The good news is that skin elasticity improves significantly after exercise, regardless of whether you wear makeup or not. Exercise not only keeps the body healthy, it also has a positive effect on the skin. This is thanks to "myokine", an anti-inflammatory protein secreted by muscles during exercise. Myokine helps inhibit skin inflammation and stimulate cell activity, while promoting blood circulation, thereby improving metabolism and bringing new life to the skin.
You should wear basic makeup and wash your face thoroughly after exercising.
For these reasons, it is best to avoid wearing makeup to protect your skin while working out. Just apply sunscreen to protect your skin from UV rays, and choose a powder sunscreen to avoid cosmetics clogging pores.
After exercising, you should pay attention to thoroughly cleaning your skin. Due to the increase in body temperature during exercise, the pores will expand, allowing cosmetics and dirt to penetrate the skin, easily leading to clogged pores, acne formation and dead skin cell accumulation. Therefore, wash your face and body immediately after exercising, avoid using water that is too hot or bathing for too long to avoid drying out the skin.
Clothing also plays an important role. If you can’t shower immediately after exercising, choose breathable, sweat-wicking clothes to avoid sweat from remaining on your skin and causing irritation. Simply wiping your face gently after exercising can also help your skin look healthier and fresher.
Photos: bellahadid, alicepilate, kendalljenner, soyaa_, Irina Shayk
