Did you know that saunas have long-lasting benefits for almost every organ in the human body, including your skin? Exactly! Sauna heat has outstanding healing properties, including cleansing, boosted circulation, and improved collagen production.
In a word, saunas are an ideal solution if you wish to bolster your skin appearance using a natural solution. Yet, if you haven’t had the chance to exploit a sauna, you may not be familiar with the skin benefits it offers.
Below, we have outlined the most significant gains you can experience from regular sauna use. Find out how you can get younger-looking healthy skin.
Is Sauna Good for Skin? Why Is Sweating Good?
If you want to grasp the benefits of sauna, you must first learn and appreciate the revitalizing properties of sweating. For instance, let’s take exercise as a reference. When you’re active, your heart rate and circulation increase.
When the blood rate speeds up, your pores also get bigger. As a result, sweat can release the toxins hiding beneath the skin. The more toxins you flush out, the fewer clogged pores remain, and you get smoother skin.
Thanks to the high temperatures of sauna units, you can achieve a similar effect. Steam and heat also increase your blood flow, and the heart beats faster. As with vigorous exercise, increased circulation delivers more nutrients to the skin surface.
Top Sauna Skin Benefits
So, is sauna use beneficial for your complexion and beauty? How does it help your skin? Below, we explore 12 sauna benefits for the external surface of your body. Read on and learn how to keep your skin soft and glowing.
1. Skin Rejuvenation
The first sign of aging is the loss of skin plumpness that comes from collagen. This protein is a natural product of own bodies, which gives the skin elasticity and strength. As we age, collagen production slows down, leading to dull, sagging skin and wrinkles we all dread.
When you sweat in a sauna, this enhances the production of collagen. As a result, your skin becomes strengthened and rejuvenated. Infrared sauna heat also removes dead skin cells and promotes the growth of new and healthy ones.
2. Acne Elimination
Blocked glands and clogged pores stimulate acne formation. Luckily, frequent sauna visits contribute to alleviating these beauty issues. Plus, you can eliminate current or future breakouts of pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads.
Typical acne stems from the build-up of sebum, dead skin cells, bacteria, and dirt. Once pores get blocked, you start to lose your youthful and dewy appearance. Hence, it’s vital to keep sebaceous glands, which secrete a natural moisturizer with a wax consistency, unimpeded.
Visiting the sauna and sweating through pores is an ideal way to filter out all accrued impurities. Besides reducing acne scarring, infrared radiation can also subdue the appearance of new acne.
3. Improved Circulation
One of the best ways saunas boost skin health is by improving the overall circulation of the lymph system and the bloodstream. Besides other health benefits, the epidermis is an absolute winner.
The increased flow means more nutrients and oxygen come to the skin surface and keep your complexion better-looking. Accelerated circulation will also make your skin look rosy, vibrant, and healthier.
4. Anti-Wrinkle Treatment
One of the most sought benefits of sauna use is the elimination of wrinkles. More specifically, infrared saunas can fight wrinkles off by elevating elastin levels in the body. This protein helps keep your skin elastic, tight, and looking youthful.
Also, since dry skin is prone to wrinkles and fine lines, sauna exposure will replace the fluids lost through sweating. Moreover, saunas get rid of toxins that give rise to wrinkles, and the steam penetrates your skin, thus plumping up wrinkles.
5. Eliminates Keloids
Keloids or raised scar tissues are unattractive to anyone’s eye. If you suffer from this condition, regular IR sauna sessions can help in the process of elimination.
Besides the natural and gradual removal of scar tissue, sauna use can stimulate the growth of new tissues. As a result, areas with improperly treated wounds can heal and improve your skin’s appearance.
6. Detoxification
Saunas induce a detoxifying effect by cleansing unhealthy toxins from deep beneath the skin. Though the liver is responsible for purifying body toxins, it can’t handle the entire amount we take daily. As a result, unfiltered toxins settle into our skin tissues.
While in the sauna, you sweat and clear out the toxins that couldn’t otherwise get expunged. Hence, the skin remains free of chemicals, beauty products, and bacteria. Apart from improving your skin, detoxification will also boost your overall health.
7. Natural Moisturizing
Enhanced skin moisturization is among the lesser-known benefits of regular sauna use. The steam and heat result in heavy sweating, which in turn moisturizes the skin inside out. Such natural lubrication is chemical-free and can reduce signs of aging.
In addition, saunas are ideal for any skin type and cause no irritation, unlike most commercial moisturizers. Besides, naturally occurring oils don’t get removed after cleansing.
8. Helps With Scrubbing
Many prefer to visit the sauna to prepare for a skin peeling session. The purpose of this pre-treatment is to soften the dry areas and remove dead skin cells and layers.
The best way to achieve younger, firmer, and more elastic skin is to give it a good scrub after enjoying a sauna session. Once you enter the sauna and start to sweat, massage yourself with a soft sponge or cloth, and wait for your reward!
9. Psoriasis Alleviation
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by skin cells multiplying ten times faster than usual. Instead of shedding, new cells pile up and result in itchy, red, and scaly patches.
The upside of saunas, in this case, is that they can ease psoriasis symptoms. In short, though your condition can’t get cured overnight, your skin’s appearance will improve. Inflammation and misbalanced pH levels will soon become a thing of the past.
10. Fights Infection And Inflammation
Sweat can ward off infection since it produces a natural antibiotic called dermcidin. This powerful substance, which can fight E.coli, candida, and strep bacteria, thrives in body sweat only. So, sauna sweating will release this natural antibiotic and keep your skin healthier.
As for inflammation, sauna exposure can reduce it to a great extent. Long-term research has found that frequent sauna use and C-reactive protein levels have a common link. In a word, the more often you indulge in a sauna, the less C-reactive protein gets created in the blood.
11. Relaxation And Brightening
Heat relaxes the body and can elevate your heart rate up to 150 beats per minute. As a result, the amount of blood your heart pumps doubles and raises the skin’s temperature to around 104 °F.
Boosted circulation gives way to a bright, dewy complexion long after you leave the sauna unit. The temporary accelerated heart rate also generates endorphins, which make you glow inside and out.
12. Eczema Treatment
Eczema is a different skin condition caused by various triggers. The most common factors include weather changes, soap products, heat, dust, stress, and fragrances. Often, even physiological circumstances, such as stress, can worsen your skin appearance.
Regular infrared sauna use will help control skin inflammation. Such relief will, in turn, reduce itches associated with eczema. Yet, it’s always best to consult your dermatologist before undergoing sauna treatment.
Drawbacks From Sauna Use
One of the downsides of saunas is the hot steam and high temperatures not everyone can stand. Hence, while the treatment increases blood circulation and gives your skin a thorough cleanse, people with sensitive skin types may feel discomfort.
Also, saunas stimulate a less humid environment and thus, provide limited hydration to the body. So, ensure you take precautions to avoid overdrying and breaking capillaries. It’s advisable to apply a moisturizer after each session to keep yourself hydrated.
Lastly, people who suffer from melasma and have hormonally-induced dark brown patches on the skin should be more careful. In short, heat inflames the skin and raises its internal temperature. This process activates the melanin cells in your body, which can make the discolored spots more prominent.
People prone to any pigmentation type should strive to calm over-dynamic melanin cells and not wake them up. Soothing can only happen with the help of anti-inflammatory ingredients. As a result, stimulating the production of melanin with heat is not a wise step to take.
Finally, if you battle pigmentation by intending to get it faded, try to keep the skin temperature as cool as possible. In short, avoid being outdoors in hot weather, visiting steam rooms, saunas, and hot yoga. If you have a chronic disease, it’s best to consult with your physician.
Proper Sauna Use
Though advantages prevail, there are a few guidelines to follow when exposing your body to heat and steam. It’s always wise to consider the advice below before stepping into a sauna:
Sessions Length
In general, the optimal time to spend in a sauna shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes once you become accustomed to it. Yet, the session length in the sauna depends on how long you can handle the heat. The temperature within the room will also impact the period of sauna exposure.
Before entering, it’s vital to be aware of some basic facts. Since heat always goes up, sitting nearer to the floor or on the lower benches means your body will face less heated air. So, if heat makes you feel uncomfortable, avoid the top sitting spots and perhaps, turn down the temperature for a few degrees.
Those who want to indulge in a sauna after a long run or vigorous activity shouldn’t be spending a long time inside. Being very active will dehydrate and exhaust you, so getting into a sauna may worsen the situation. Hit the sauna unit only if you’re well-hydrated and not lightheaded.
Some people manage the heat by taking frequent breaks. Use this time to drink enough liquids since the body loses fluids at an accelerated rate. Experts suggest drinking from two to four glasses of water after attending a sauna treatment.
Indeed, doctors recommend starting at a low temperature and for brief periods only. It would be ideal for your health to begin with one spa session that lasts about five minutes. This way, you can ensure whether sauna use is beneficial for your skin or not. Then, you may continue with several times a week.
Clothing
In the U.S, people who visit shared public saunas prefer to wear a towel. But if you have arranged to stay in the unit alone or have one at home, you’ll be more comfortable sweating naked. Most people don’t want the sticky feeling on their bodies when they wear a loose-fitting shirt.
But if you are not a fan of nudity and prefer to have clothes on, go for natural fibers such as cotton. A bikini set can also do the job if you’re sharing the space with other users.
When it comes to gyms and public saunas, make sure you have at least a towel to sit on while sweating. These areas can often be breeding grounds for bacteria and germs.
Last, remove any jewelry, contact lenses, or other items you’re wearing prone to melting or burning. Remember to always shower before entering and after each use on your way out.
Final Word
Increased sweating has a cleansing effect on the glands and pores since it washes away impurities and toxins. The outcome is healthier and firmer skin, less prone to acne, rashes, and blackheads.
Sauna exposure also improves your overall body’s immunity. Yet, you can only appreciate health benefits if you hit the sauna regularly. Visiting a sauna once in a while may not be as helpful as you thought.
What about your story? How have sauna sessions been treating your skin and body? Please, share your experience with us in the comments below, and keep reading us for more practical advice.
