6 Annoying skin problems that may be caused by your workout

Everyone loves or at least wants to stay fit. But fitness doesn’t come easy. One needs to exercise regularly in order to be fit. No matter how difficult it sounds, once you start exercising with a routine, you tend to get healthier and feel better. However, there are scenarios where you end up experiencing some skin problems just because of your workout. Here are some of the most common skin issues caused by workout.

Skin infection

Skin infection is one of the most common skin health issues people experience after visiting gym because of dirty equipments. Since so many people use the equipment inside a gym, germs and bacteria are bound to spread on them, posing risk of skin infections. To avoid getting skin infections at the gym, wipe clean any equipment you wish to use inside the gym with a wet cloth and never touch your face directly with your hands while in the gym.

Use gloves as much as you can while exercising and take them off whenever you wish to touch your personal stuff like your sipper or your phone. And don’t forget to wash the gloves regularly.

Acne

Most people like wearing tight sportswear while working out which might provide lot of support for the workout but may also collect a lot of sweat and bacteria inside. Sweat along with body heat generated during the workout provides the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. As a result, you may get body acne from that bacterial growth. To avoid getting acne from tight fitting clothes, shower right after you are done with your workout.

If your gym doesn’t have a shower, change to fresh clothes and shower once you reach home. You can also try wearing loosely fitted clothes which allow better air circulation and reduced risk of bacterial growth.

Chafing

This is also one of the most common skin problems people experience post workouts. Chafing refers to skin irritation caused by friction from some repetitive motion. Well, workout involves tons of such repetitive actions in the form of reps and sets.

So if your clothes or some equipment is rubbing somewhere on your skin, it is likely to cause chafing after couple of sets. To avoid this problem, wear loose-fitting and low friction clothes to gym. Also perform your exercises nicely to minimise friction with equipment.

Heat rashes

People who work out in hot and humid environments, may get heat rashes due to blocked or swollen sweat pores causing small pink rashes on some parts of the skin. If you exercise outside you should wear loose-fitting clothes and take breaks in shade to avoid heat rashes.

Athlete’s foot

Taking a post-workout shower barefoot at the gym may cause itching rashes between the toes. Bathroom floors, especially the ones with public shower, are often contaminated with fungi that can lead to athlete’s foot to anyone who takes a shower barefoot. It’s better to wear your own pair of bathroom slippers to the shower and clean them frequently with some effective disinfectant.

Hyper pigmentation

When you go for a run or cycling without SPF, the sun may do some damage to your skin and cause small patches of dark pigments. Hyperpigmentation is harmless but doesn’t look good. So it’s best to wear a suitable SPF lotion before stepping out under the sun for your workout.

Image: Getty

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