Pimples that plague a complexion are not the extent of many adult’s acne woes. Thousands of American men and women also struggle with body acne. While sweating is believed to be a good way of flushing bacteria from the pores, many people now question if working out at the gym actually exacerbates body acne. The fear is that tight fitting workout clothing keeps sweat close to the skin, so instead of flushing the pores, the trapped sweat clogs the pores, leading to an acne breakout. To settle the debate, Victoria Moorhouse, a beauty writer at Daily Makeover, interviewed NYC Dermatologists for her article: “The Weird Cause of Your Body Acne—And How to Fix It!”
Do workout clothes cause acne breakouts?
To begin, Daily Makeover asks NYC Dermatologists if workout clothes really cause body acne.
First of all, acne experts disagree about whether or not sweating in workout clothing leads to acne breakouts. There is also a belief that the type of materials used in making workout clothing triggers pimples and zits to pop up across the body.
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Rubbing causes acne
But, according to one dermatologist interviewed in the article, workout clothes don’t have any notorious properties that trigger body acne breakouts more than any other type of clothing. As Daily Makeover explains it “isn’t the type of clothes you wear…” but the activities you perform in them.
Working out causes your clothing to rub against your body, and this, according to a NYC dermatologist is a trigger that can cause acne prone areas to break out. “Anytime you rub acne-prone skin, you push debris and dirt into the pores, and you also thicken the skin, both of which contribute to acne breakouts.”
Thankfully there is an easy solution: simply wear loser fitting clothing when working out.
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Avoid acne breakouts by avoiding tight clothing when working out
This is especially true for those tight fitting yoga pants that you just love. To explain, Daily Makeover interviewed leading NYC Dermatologist Dr Hadley King, who oversees acne treatment at SKINNEY Medspa. Besides rubbing against the body, Dr. Hadley King explains why tight clothing can trigger body acne breakouts saying “If you are wearing clothing that is non breathable, like spandex, it is more likely [to experience body acne while working out.] If you’re sweating, oil starts to build up, bacteria can grow there,” she says.
