Using Facial Makeup During Sports Can Influence Skin Health

Illustration (Jonathan Borba/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Can't miss base creams even before going to exercise? Maybe it's worth reconsidering, because recent research shows that using facial makeup while exercising can affect the health of your skin.

Published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, the study investigates the impact of aerobic exercises on the skin and pores, comparing individuals who use and do not use facial makeup. The findings reveal that cosmetic foundation can cause clogged pores, which have the potential to trigger acne.

"There is a growing trend where people use makeup while exercising. This research shows the importance of studying changes in the skin of individuals who use facial makeup while exercising," said study correspondent Dongsun Park, quoted by ANTARA from Medical Daily.

"According to this study, using thick facial makeup such as cream foundation during exercise has the potential to cause skin problems such as clogged pores due to sweat accumulation. Therefore, it is recommended to choose lighter facial makeup or oil-free products to maintain healthy skin during exercise," Park added.

The researchers studied 43 healthy students, applied makeup creams to one side of their faces in two different areas, forehead and upper cheek, while leaving the other half of faces under control.

After exercising, the researchers observed an increase in moisture in both areas without makeup and those using facial makeup. However, the facial makeup zone has a more tangible increase, suggesting that facial makeup may prevent moisture evaporation from the skin.

Skin elasticity increases after exercise. But this is more visible in the no-face makeup zone. Pores on the skin without facial makeup see a marked increase in size, while pores on the skin with facial makeup do not show any significant changes.

This suggests that facial makeup may have clog the pores. Skin oil levels increase in the no-face makeup zone while decreasing in zones that use facial makeup, suggesting that it may be difficult to maintain the right level of oil on the skin when using facial makeup.

"These findings suggest that the use of powder cream bases during aerobic training can reduce skin oil, cause drought. In addition, facial makeup can clog pores and increase sebum production," he said.

"Therefore, using facial makeup may not be recommended for people with dry skin conditions based on current research results. This research offers important insights to the public, prompting them to consider the possible consequences of using facial makeup while exercising," the researchers wrote.

"For skin health, it's better to exercise with your makeup removed," Park said in a news release.