While the Olympic Games have had most of the nation glued to their television sets, Team GB’s success at London 2012 will hopefully also inspire us to get off the couch and step up our own sporty activities! Sport and exercise are essential for our health and well-being, but all that heat, sweat and chlorine can have a detrimental effect on our skin unless we adopt a suitable skin care routine:
- Keep make up to a minimum. Sweat will tend to make foundation slide anyway and wearing too much could increase the likelihood of congestion. If you can’t leave the house completely bare-faced, then make sure you are using a light foundation designed to leave pores clear, like Dermalogica’s Treatment Foundation.
- Wash your face immediately after exercise. It is essential to cleanse your face as soon as you leave the gym in order to avoid spots and blemishes. If your chosen sport is swimming, washing your face will remove chlorine which can have a drying effect on the skin.
- Reduce redness with a toner. Forget using a wipe-off toner and go for a spray that will soothe and calm flushed skin, restoring moisture and preparing the skin for moisturiser.
- Replace lost moisture. Your skin dehydrates during exercise and the chlorine in swimming pools can strip away the skin’s natural barrier, so make sure you use a moisturiser that will rehydrate your complexion and restore its natural barrier.