Does exercising improve or worsen your skin? Many people ask me this question, but it's a bit tricky for me to give a definitive answer. Exercise definitely has both positive and negative effects on the skin. Today, as a dermatologist, I will take a closer look at how exercise affects the skin. Exercise certainly has benefits for the skin. Firstly, blood circulation obviously improves. When blood is well supplied to the skin, the skin naturally becomes healthier. And although exercise can temporarily increase free radicals, long-term exercise activates antioxidant enzymes, which helps reduce these free radicals. Exercise also increases the secretion of various growth hormones, sex hormones, and cytokines like Interleukin-15, which have positive effects on the skin. Furthermore, exercise significantly reduces stress. Through exercise, the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, decrease, which can help alleviate conditions like acne caused by cortisol. Finally, and this is a point I want to emphasize, exercise promotes collagen formation.

Many people wonder if exercise actually increases collagen in the skin's dermis. When you think about it, you might recall seeing athletes with very dark, a lot of freckles, and rough-looking skin, leading you to wonder if exercise is bad for the skin. But then, you might also notice people who exercise regularly having radiant and healthy-looking skin. If you ask how this really works, the conclusion from a dermal collagen perspective is that exercise increases collagen in the dermis. Let's take a look at a study. The study examined how aging is affected by exercise, specifically focusing on how collagen in the dermis changes. In conclusion, the study found that aerobic exercise delays skin aging. Shall we look at a second study? This study specifically investigated why exercise delays skin aging, in other words, how it increases collagen. When we exercise our muscles, they grow, and IL-15, a substance, is secreted. As shown in the adjacent diagram,

IL-15 enters the bloodstream and then the skin. It activates the mitochondria of fibroblasts, which are cells that produce collagen in the skin, thereby activating these fibroblasts. This results in the production of new collagen, making the skin look firm and healthy. It was a very interesting study. It demonstrated that it's not just a vague notion of feeling better or healthier, but that this principle actually increases collagen. As I was researching these papers, I became curious. There are various types of exercise. Aerobic exercises like jogging and swimming, and resistance exercises like lifting weights at the gym. So, which type of exercise produces more collagen? If you think about people who run a lot versus those who do weight training... I can give you a hint. I've been getting personal training (PT) lately, and strangely enough, the PT trainers at my gym all have great skin. Let's take a look at this study. It involved 61 middle-aged Japanese women.

who were divided into groups for aerobic exercise and resistance training (weight lifting) over 16 weeks. They analyzed how their skin changed before and after the exercise, as well as their overall body composition and blood samples. In the diagram, you can see that the women in the aerobic exercise group showed increased skin elasticity and increased collagen in the upper dermal layer. However, the group that did resistance training also showed significant thickening of the entire dermal layer. Today, I delved a bit deeper, and to summarize. Exercise increases collagen in the dermis. Among the types of exercise, while aerobic exercise is beneficial, resistance training generates more collagen. If you ask, Then how exactly should I exercise? the study provides some guidance. The groups in the study exercised for at least 4 months and did so at least twice a week. So, based on this study, exercising for just a day or two isn’t enough. Consistent exercise over at least three months

will gradually change the structure of the dermis, and exercising at least twice a week is recommended. But is exercise always good for your skin? While preparing for this YouTube video, I watched other doctors' YouTube videos and found mixed opinions. Some doctors said exercise improves skin, while others mentioned that it can worsen acne, cause dark spots, and have other negative effects. That's correct. Let's take a closer look at the negative effects of exercise on the skin. First, something quite obvious. When we exercise outdoors, we're frequently exposed to UV rays. What happens then? Naturally, skin pigmentation can darken, and prolonged UV exposure can reduce collagen production in the dermis. So, should we avoid exercising because we're afraid of UV rays? As I mentioned earlier, exercise itself is beneficial for skin health. While exercising outdoors has its downsides due to UV exposure, we can address this issue. Wearing hats or using sunscreen can help mitigate these negative effects, allowing us to reap the benefits of exercise.

Exercising excessively can increase the production of free radicals. A prime example is engaging in strenuous exercise for two hours. What could that be? Marathons. Marathon runners often appear older than their non-running peers of the same age. This is due to the increased free radicals. However, we are not professional athletes. The time we spend exercising each week is minimal. Although free radicals do increase during exercise, they naturally decrease afterward. In the long term, the benefits of exercise outweigh the negatives, so it's good to exercise. Additionally, we can somewhat control free radicals. Consuming vitamin C before and after exercise, drinking vegetable juice, eating antioxidant-rich foods, or taking vitamins can help mitigate this issue. Therefore, avoiding exercise out of fear of free radicals is not the right approach. Some patients also say, Doctor, when I exercise too hard, my acne gets worse. This is true. When you exercise, you sweat a lot and your sebum production increases.

When sweat and sebum mix, they can clog your pores. Especially for those who produce more sebum, it’s essential to thoroughly cleanse your skin after exercising. This is something we can easily manage, so avoiding exercise out of fear of worsening acne is also not the right approach. I did mention that there are some negative aspects of exercising, but as I explained earlier, these are aspects we can control. Therefore, I don't agree with the notion that exercise makes your skin worse. Finally, there is one more thing I want to emphasize. When we exercise, we sweat, which can lead to dehydration. Until dehydration becomes severe enough for us to feel it physically, we might not even realize we're dehydrated. So, don't forget to drink plenty of water while exercising. Why is water important? Adequate hydration is crucial for optimizing the function of all our cells. Also, drinking enough water activates kidney function, helping to eliminate various waste products and toxins from the body quickly.

Dehydration can also trigger inflammation, as reported in several studies. Therefore, by staying hydrated during exercise, we can reduce the risk of inflammation. Water might seem insignificant, but as I've mentioned several times, it's crucial to stay hydrated before you feel thirsty during exercise. When you exercise, you're inevitably moving your muscles and causing some muscle damage. This is actually necessary. Through planned muscle damage, some muscle cells are broken down, and myoblasts, I love fibroblasts in the muscles will create new muscle fibers. These new muscle fibers will be more numerous than the ones that were damaged, making our bodies more muscular and toned. So, what’s important for this process? Adequate nutrition is essential. Especially after exercising, protein intake is very important. For an average adult male, the recommended daily intake is about 60-70g of protein. If you've exercised, done weight training, or had a strenuous aerobic workout, some of your muscle fibers will have been stimulated.

Therefore, you should consume slightly more than the daily 60-70g recommendation. Proper protein intake is crucial for muscle growth and the improvement of dermal collagen, which is also a protein. To effectively improve your skin through diligent exercise, it's sufficient to consume high-quality protein. To summarize, numerous studies have already reported that dermal collagen increases through exercise. While there are negative aspects like UV exposure and clogged pores, these are manageable. By effectively controlling the negative aspects of exercise and diligently working out, you might not achieve results as dramatic as a Thermage treatment, but you'll still see improvements in your facial skin without needing to visit a dermatologist frequently. This was Dr. Phelps Yoo Dongki, your dermatologist. Thank you.

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