Advise patients to exercise after they have taken their makeup off.
This is the main takeaway message from a new study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
The study included 43 healthy college students (20 males and 23 females). Foundation cream was applied to participants on half of the face in two different areas (forehead and upper cheek). The other half of the face served as control.
Moisture increased after exercise in both the non-makeup and makeup zones; however, there was a greater increase in moisture in the makeup zones. This may be a result of makeup preventing moisture from evaporating from the skin.
Elasticity of the skin increased after exercise, but to a greater extent in the makeup zones than in non-makeup zones, the study showed.
Moreover, the size of pores increased in skin without makeup after exercise, but not significantly in skin with makeup. This may indicate that wearing makeup may block pores. Oil level increased in the non-makeup zones and decreased in the makeup zones, suggesting that it may be difficult to maintain proper oil levels on the skin when wearing makeup.
“For skin health, it’s best to exercise with your makeup removed,” says study author Dongsun Park, PhD, of the Korea National University of Education, in a news release.
“Using foundation cream during aerobic exercise can reduce skin oil, causing dryness,” Park and colleagues conclude. “Additionally, makeup can clog pores and increase sebum production. Therefore, wearing makeup may not be recommended for people with dry skin conditions based on the results of the current study.”
