Why is sauna good for your skin?
Throughout history, saunas have been the center of attention as people from many different cultures and societies immerse themselves in their purifying and rejuvenating heat. With its Scandinavian roots, sauna therapy has transformed from a cultural tradition into what is now a global self-care practice. While some may view saunas as just another health trend, research has shown that saunas can have a profound impact on overall health and wellbeing, especially skin health.
What’s a sauna? Essentially, a sauna is a small room specifically designed to enable either a dry or humid heat environment. The heat of a sauna wraps around your body like a warm hug, opening up your pores and allowing you to sweat out harmful toxins. This activity simulates a fever state, in that your body temperature increases, which activates your immune system. While this process may sound simple, its positive implications for skin health definitely deserve attention.Sweating in a sauna causes natural detoxification of the body. But how does this benefit our skin health? In this article, you’ll learn about sauna skin benefits and how the sauna can facilitate healthier skin.
Physiological Effects of a Sauna on the Skin
A sauna is therapeutic for the skin because of the physiological effects that the heat has on your body. The skin, our largest organ, is our first line of defense against external pollutants and toxins. Its health is crucial for total body wellness.
Sweating and Skin Health
Sitting in a sauna is immersive and ignites the sweating process, as mentioned previously. As your body sweats, your perspiration leads to natural skin detox, which is a great way to maintain skin health! Your body eliminates toxins in various ways, and the skin is one of the more significant routes. As you sweat, your body expels toxins and debris, which leads to thorough pore cleansing in the sauna. This leaves your skin feeling clean and rejuvenated.
Sweating and skin health are directly proportional. The more you sweat, the more your blood circulates around your skin’s surface. This ensures that your skin receives all of the nutrients and oxygen it needs for its optimal health. Have you ever wondered why there’s often a glow observed after a sauna session? This explains why.
Skin Elasticity and Appearance
Elasticity is a skin feature that can emit a youthful appearance. As we age, our skin’s elasticity decreases, leading to the development of wrinkles and fine lines. Sauna health advantages can help with this as well.
As you sit in the sauna, the heat encourages collagen production, which is a critical element in maintaining skin elasticity. Collagen provides structure to the skin, making it firm and smooth, which helps enhance its appearance, and yours too! Looking for more effects? You may want to check out the benefits of an infrared sauna, which penetrate deeper into the skin layers and help to further improve collagen production.
To aid in skin appearance, sweating naturally exfoliates the skin, which helps to eliminate dead skin cells. Accumulation of dead skin cells can lead to a dull or rough appearance of the skin. A sauna skin experience involves replenishing your skin through a natural process, providing a rejuvenation experience right from the comfort of a sauna.
Research Backing Sauna’s Skin Benefits
While personal testimonials about the health benefits of sauna use are abundant on YouTube and other channels, scientific research supports saunas for their therapeutic potential and their benefits to skin health. Sauna detoxification, rejuvenation effects, and skin elasticity are all supported by research.
Studies Around Sauna Use and Skin
Research supports therapeutic sauna sessions that promote skin health. A report published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that, “frequent sauna bathing…alleviated conditions such as skin diseases.” They also found that sauna effects benefit the circulatory, respiratory, cardiovascular, and immune systems.
Implications on Skin Health
Reports like the one previously mentioned support the fact that sauna sessions facilitate a variety of skin health enhancing activities, such as detoxification, improved blood circulation, increased collagen production, and exfoliation. They also support that saunas are a great natural tool for overall skin maintenance and improvement.
Tips to Maximize the Skin Benefits of a Sauna
Remember that the best way to experience sauna skin benefits is to engage in healthy sauna practices. Go figure! It’s important to find your optimal session length and frequency as well as a proper skincare routine to accompany your sauna use to ensure you’re getting the most benefit out of your therapy.
Sauna Session Lengths and Frequency
Length
For beginners, start with 5 to 10 minutes per session to allow your body to adjust and acclimate to the hot environment. You can gradually increase your time as you become more comfortable.
For experienced sauna-ers, give 20 minute sessions a try. Be mindful of anything more than that to avoid dehydration risks.
Frequency
As far as frequency is concerned, a great sauna routine is once or twice a week. This frequency helps make sure you receive a comprehensive level of detoxification and contributes to your overall skin health. Overusing the sauna could lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, so it’s best to balance your sessions, start slow, and hydrate often.
Infrared saunas can work wonders on your skin too. Infrared sauna benefits can be realized through longer sessions, up to 45 minutes, due to their gentle yet deeply penetrating heat. As with this tool, your session length and frequency can be adjusted depending on your body’s response and comfort level.
Proper Skin Care Techniques to Accompany the Sauna
Let’s not forget about proper skin maintenance habits to pair with your sauna routine. You can’t have one without the other!
Before
Before your sauna, clean your skin of any makeup, dirt, oils, etc., as these can clog pores and inhibit the sauna’s detoxification effect.
After
After your sauna, wash your face with cool water to help constrict your pores. This reduces the risk of outside contaminants from entering your skin, and facilitates healthy blood circulation.
It’s also recommended to apply some moisturizer after your session to help lock in hydration and keep your skin from becoming dehydrated. Those fighting acne might want to consider a mild skin soothing mask or lotion for additional benefits.
Combining these skin care techniques can improve your sauna skin benefits and create an even more potent experience.
Summarizing a Sauna for Healthier Skin
In this article, we provided an overview of the physiological effects that sauna use has on skin health, scientific backing, and practical tips for maximizing benefits a sauna can provide for the health of your skin. The detoxification process through a sauna and the increased amount of sweat all contribute to skin rejuvenation and enhancing your skin health. Whether you are looking to boost elasticity, improve your complexion, or simply a natural cleanser for your body, saunas check quite a few boxes.
As with other therapeutic tools, it’s important to approach this one with mindfulness and understand best practices, such as the recommended session length and frequency to ensure you stay safe and healthy. Don’t forget to keep your comfort and skin’s response into consideration when creating your personalized sauna routine. And remember! Combine this tool with other balanced lifestyle choices, like nutrition, hydration (friendly reminder to take a sip of water!), sleep, and stress management, to round out your skin care and wellness routine.
A sauna is another piece of the holistic wellness puzzle that is offered to us. It can improve your skin, as well as other facets of your health, such as strengthening your body’s immune system, enhancing physical performance, and promoting mental relaxation. So enjoy your sauna sessions, knowing that you are improving your skin health and improving your overall wellbeing.
Thanks for reading! Cheers to your health and happiness 🙂
