We’ve all done it at least once – worn makeup to gym. While some women can get away with wearing a full face of makeup to gym without so much as a red blemish afterwards – some of us are not so lucky, our skin can punish us quite severely if we wear so much as a light powder on our skin.
We consulted an expert to find out what are the effects of wearing makeup while perspiring heavily during exercise. Aside from the less than flattering melted running mascara, it can get a lot worse. We spoke to Faeeza Sacoor, somatologist and owner of Sandton Beauty Clinic as well as Aura International Skincare Range.
Why is it so detrimental to the skin to wear makeup while exercising?
“Exercise increases metabolism which causes your pseudoriferous glands (sweat glands) to secrete more perspiration and that’s the way the body cleanses itself, so each cell and pore is trying to cleanse itself.”
Is it true that even some moisturisers can block your pores?
“If you are going to put anything that blocks it, personally even certain moisturisers can block it, certain heavy rich creams can block it, certain sun
-blocks can block your skin and makeup even worse, because make-up is mineralized, the particle sizes is larger than moisturizer and sunblock. So on top of that, even powdery make-up is even worse.”
If wearing make-up is a non-negotiable what is the alternatives?
“Try not to wear makeup however, if you have to because you are conscious about your skin and you feel you want to wear something that gives you bit more of an even tone, then I would use a ‘BB Cream’, something that is reputable and has a sunscreen, so that if you reapply after showering, you go out into the sun without exposing your skin.”
“If you are a person that wants to go one step further, and you have maybe ‘Chloasma’ (pigmentation), you don’t want to expose it, then just put a concealer, that is a medicated concealer, just on that area and then your BB Cream over, and that’s as far as I would go with makeup.”
Can one wear eyeliner and mascara?
“That’s fine, eyeliner, mascara, these are not the glands that secrete much, even lipstick is fine, it’s the foundations that block the pores. Even blusher is fine on its own. If you’re using heavy cover, makeup, powder, blusher and you’ve got three or four layers, it’s a complete no-no, because exercising with these, you run the risk of damaging your skin in the process.”
What will happen to your skin if you damage it?
“You can cause blackheads and congestion and have major skin issues, so I would definitely not recommend heavy make-up while exercising. You can go into a sauna for a deep pore cleanse, without make-up, which will give you even more benefit.”
So post-workout, how should you treat your skin especially if you had been wearing makeup?
“If you’re gymming, your cell temperature increases, so it’s very nice to use, either splash on ice cold water, or if they have an ice-cube in the gym or a freezing cold can that you can roll all over your face, hold it there for a few seconds, just before you put anything on your skin again, this will constrict the pores again, it makes your skin ready for makeup, also makes your skin ready for moisturizer, because the pores have now dilated and constricted and it wakes them up from ‘lazy’ mode.”
To book a consultation with Faeeza Sacoor at Sandton Beauty Clinic: 
Aura International Skincare range is available here.
Contact: 011 884 6579
Where: 14th floor, Office Tower, Sandton City, Johannesburg
Website: www.sandtonbeautyclinic.com
