Acne can be socially embarrassing and is sometimes permanently disfiguring, but there are many ways of treating it. One often overlooked supplement to traditional acne treatments is time spent in a sauna, where the skin and pores are cleansed and acne-causing stress can be relieved by the warm, relaxed atmosphere inside.
Skin Cleansing
Clean, healthy skin is the best defense against acne outbreaks, according to the Acne Clear & Acne Care website. During a sauna, steam cleanses the skin of dead cells, sebum and surface bacteria that can cause pimples and blemishes. This process encourages new skin cell production and increases capillary circulation, improving the overall health of the skin.
Purging
In an article on the causes of acne, KidsHealth.org notes that clogged pores can lead to outbreaks of acne. Bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes become trapped within clogged pores and then multiply, causing swelling and redness. When you sweat within a sauna, it purges your pores of contaminants that can cause clogging. This purging process lowers the probability of future acne outbreaks and can unclog infected areas, leading to faster healing of existing pimples.
Stress Reduction
The Acne Resource center links stress to acne onsets in two ways. Under stress the body stimulates the adrenal glands, which produce more hormones and can lead to acne. The healing process is also slowed by stress, lowering the skin's ability to resist new infections and slowing the healing of existing pimples. When the heat and renewing effect of a sauna induce a relaxed state, stress and tension levels ease and the symptoms of many chronic anxiety-related illnesses, including certain occurrences of acne, are relieved.
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