Hot yoga is a form of exercise typically performed in temperatures upward of 95 degrees Fahrenheit. After a hot yoga class, participants often notice bright red skin from the warm conditions and increased heart rate. In addition to red skin, practitioners of hot yoga can develop broken capillaries, forming thin red or pink lines beneath their skin.
About Hot Yoga
Hot yoga is any type of yoga performed in a warm environment or heated room. The environment is typically humid as well, making the air feel thick and increasing the sensation of warmth. The most common styles associated with hot yoga are bikram and vinyasa, but any style can be adapted. The high heat causes immense sweating and increases your body’s temperature quickly. Apart from a physical workout, the goal of hot yoga is typically to sweat out toxins and hydrate your skin. Practitioners must drink large amounts of water before and after hot yoga, as they can lose pounds of fluids during each session.
About Broken Capillaries
Exertion in a warm environment, such as a hot yoga class, causes your blood flow to increase, quickly widening your capillaries. When you leave the hot environment, your body temperature drops and causes your capillaries to contract quickly. When your capillaries widen or contract too quickly, their walls break, allowing a small amount of blood to flow out beneath the skin. This creates the red or pink lines associated with broken capillaries. Broken capillaries can occur anywhere on your body, but they are common on your cheeks and nose. This creates redness in the skin or uneven skin tone that you may find embarrassing.
Treating and Avoiding Broken Capillaries
Electrolysis treatments are the most common method of removing broken capillaries, requiring only a few sessions to erase their appearance. In addition, you can find many over-the-counter creams intended to strengthen the broken capillaries’ walls, reducing them over extended periods. Both methods require time and money to see results. Other treatments, such as massaging the area, lack definitive scientific research to verify their effectiveness. The surest method to prevent broken capillaries from hot yoga is to avoid it altogether, but you can lessen the likelihood of broken capillaries by performing light exercise before the session to increase your blood flow gradually. After the session, stay in the warm environment until your heart rate returns to normal to prevent sudden capillary contraction.
Hot Yoga Alternatives
Many styles of yoga are available to those who are interested. Power yoga in particular exerts your muscles and often results in profuse sweating. Indoor cycling, aerobics classes and jogging are all fine alternatives to get your blood pumping and sweat flowing. If you enjoy the warm environment, consider going into a sauna following your workout.
Warning
Before engaging in any form of exercise or subjecting your body to high temperatures, consult a physician. He can assess whether you are healthy enough to endure the stress these activities put on your body.
References
- Hospital for Special Surgery: Avoid Getting Scorched by 'Hot Yoga'
- Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class; Bikram Choudhury et al.
- How to be Wrinkle-Free; Carlotta Karlson Jacobson
- Skin Care: How to Save Your Skin; Mark Lees et al.
- Dr. Eric Finzi and Associates: Broken Facial Capillaries
- Cameron Rokhsar MD: Broken Capillaries & Facial Veins
