Let’s face it. Our skin takes a beating everywhere we go. Every day, due to environmental factors including such things as exposure to UV and air pollution, or skin is under assault. To counter this, why not treat your skin each time that you workout, while you are working out? As the old saying goes, kill two birds with one stone, or a more modern way to say it…let’s multi-task. Give your skin rejuvenation while you derive all of the mental and physical benefits of a great workout!
I hear from our customers all the time about how much better their skin looks and feels after a workout in the infrared sauna.
You might ask “why” does skin look better after Far Infrared (FIR) exercise? Let’s take a look at the science. I stumbled across a website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687728/) for the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. The webpage had republished and abstract from this study, Effects of Infrared Radiation on Skin Photo-Aging and Pigmentation (1), that was performed in 2004 and then published in 2006. Please read the results of this study below:
“In order to determine the effects of infrared radiation on collagen and elastin production, dermal fibroblasts were exposed to infrared radiation for varying lengths of time and collagen and elastin contents were subsequently determined. Additionally, 20 patients with mild to moderate facial wrinkles and hyperpigmented lesions received daily treatments of far infrared radiation (900 to 1000 µm) for six-months. During the treatment, patients and a medical observer conducted independent photographic and clinical evaluations every 4 weeks, and skin biopsies were obtained for histological analysis at baseline and one month post-treatment.
[Collagen and elastin assays were performed after a 24-hour post-irradiation incubation period. Results were compared with a control group which was not exposed to IR radiation….Twenty females (ages 35-61; mean 44.3 years, skin phototypes III-IV) with facial wrinkles and hyperpigmented lesions were enrolled in the study from March to October, 2004. Patients received 15-20 minute daily treatments (on 5 weekdays) of far IR radiation for a period of 6 months.]
We found that the content of collagen and elastin produced by the fibroblasts increased after infrared radiation, and that this increase was proportional to the duration of irradiation exposure. Following 6 months of treatment, all patients reported good (51-75%) improvements in skin texture and roughness. Additionally, patients noted fair (25-50%) improvement in color tone of the skin”
This study shows that IR exposure is a good, non-ablative (non-abrasive, no skin peeling) way to rebuild collagen, elastin and to treat the effects of photo aging!
The abstract goes on to note that several studies have shown that FIR exposure can also accelerate the healing of wounds due to this collagen increase and the stepped up process of cell production.
So, go ahead, multi-task and get more from your workout in less time by rejuvenating your skin while you workout!!!
(1) Yonsei Med J. 2006 Aug 31; 47(4): 485–490.Published online 2006 Aug 31. doi: 10.3349/ymj.2006.47.4.485
