A lot of people hate sweating, but we quite literally wouldn’t function without it! Did you know that perspiration is a natural defense mechanism? It lowers our body temperature, and because sweat is mostly water, it cools the body down as it evaporates. However, human sweat contains traces of zinc, copper, iron, nickel, cadmium, lead, manganese, sodium, and chloride. So, the build-up of these chemicals could irritate a person’s acne, dry skin, atopic dermatitis, or eczema.

On areas like the insides of the elbows, back of the knees, and around the neck, a lot of moisture forms, and those areas are optimal environments for rashes. If you have dry skin or even body acne, you should rinse off with water and change into new clothes as soon as possible. If you are in a gym, making use of the showers (if you’re comfortable) would be a superb idea. When you sweat through your clothes, your sweat glands are being blocked and that can trigger inflammation, body acne, and an itching sensation. Because yeast and bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments, sweating through your clothes can also cause folliculitis, a common skin condition in which hair follicles become inflamed. It commonly resembles acne, small red bumps, or white-headed pimples around the hair follicles. The tiny pockets around each hair grows, and the infection can spread and turn into nonhealing, crusty sores.

Hypochlorous spray is another great option. It’s naturally present in our bodies because our immune cells make it to kill bacteria. You can spray it on the skin on your body, and because bacteria live on skin that is breaking down sweat, this spray can really help keep prevent acne breakouts on the body.

Also, the salt and acidity of sweat can dry out your skin and worsen eczema or dermatitis. Concurrently, when skin dries out, it can naturally produce oil to compensate, and this can further contribute to acne. You can rehydrate your skin after a workout by moisturizing well, especially after showering, and running a humidifier.