One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to get in shape, which is great. I know I could stand to exercise more. (I've been inspired by About.com Exercise Guide Paige Waehner's article listing the health benefits of regular exercise.)
If you do start a new exercise program this year, though, be on guard for body breakouts. Sometimes exercise can make body acne worse.
I'm not suggesting you not exercise if you have body acne -- far from it. Some studies have shown that people with acne are less likely to exercise than those without acne, so getting active is super important.
You just want to make sure you pay special attention to your skin to reduce the chance of irritating breakouts. Here are some ideas:
Shower immediately after your workout. Sweat is super irritating to acne, so make sure you shower and change into clean clothes right after exercising. If you absolutely can't shower right away, at least wipe down with a clean cloth. (I did a review on a product called Paper Shower that would be good in this application too.)
Lather up with a benzoyl peroxide wash. Get an acne-fighting body wash that contains 5-10% benzoyl peroxide, and use it once or twice daily. Benzoyl peroxide is especially good for inflamed breakouts.
Pay attention to what you're wearing. Anything that traps heat and sweat against your skin will aggravate acne (hello, lycra, we're talking about you.) Natural fabrics or those that wick away sweat will be your best bets.
Of course, if you're really battling those breakouts without much success, consider talking to a doctor. Body acne is very tough to treat, so you might see the the most improvement with a prescription medication.
Before you get started, you might also want to check out some of the great fitness sites on About.com. Besides Paige's Exercise site, there is:
Family Fitness
Pilates
Running and Jogging
Walking
Weight Training
Yoga (my personal favorite!)
Here's to a healthy new year!
Beating Body Acne:
