The best skincare routine is exercise

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Skin is not just the largest organ of the human body (bank that one for your next trivia night), it’s one of the hardest working.

While you’re out there getting things done, your skin is busy protecting you from pollution, the sun’s rays and nasty pathogens. With all those environmental hazards coming thick and fast, it’s no wonder that skin is also one of the first organs to show the wear and tear of age – thinning, losing elasticity and becoming more pale.

Before you reach for that outrageously expensive skin cream in an attempt to delay the signs of aging, have you considered trying a workout instead?

Training vs skin aging

We already know that a good workout can give you an inner glow caused by feel-good chemicals and blood flow to the brain.

Now a study has found that both aerobic and resistance training can improve skin elasticity – the ability to ‘bounce back’ that helps resist sagging and wrinkles – and the health of the upper dermal structure – the middle layer of skin which provides nutrients, hydration and support to your outer layer of skin.

But when it came to increasing the thickness of skin (dermal thickness) only resistance training delivered results.