Why sweat doesn't actually cause acne
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Photo by Hans Reniers on Unsplash
I have SO many clients swear that sweat is causing them to break out. You might be breaking out from certain triggers connected to your workouts like acne mechanica but sweat in and of itself is not one of them and here is why:
Sweat isn’t comedogenic
There are over a hundred ingredients called comedogenic ingredients that can clog and irritate pores but sweat doesn’t contain any of them. Sweat is mostly composed of water and small amounts of electrolytes like sodium and chloride-none of which are toxic or comedogenic.
Sweat glands aren’t even connected to oil glands
The acne process takes place inside of your hair follicles and oil glands are attached directly to these follicles which is why oil plays an essential role in the acne process. Sweat glands are completely separate and disconnected from both the hair follicle and the oil gland.
Sweat does not flush out toxins
The popular misconception that sweat somehow detoxifies or flushes toxins out of our bodies is so silly. If our sweat was toxic, our skin would probably melt off and we would be in trouble. The main role of sweating is to regulate our body temperature, not to flush out toxins. Our kidneys and livers are responsible for purifying and detoxifying our bodies so you don’t have to worry about toxins coming out of your skin and potentially causing a breakout.
