Severe Acne

Acne, whether mild or severe acne, can be a problem for people of all ages, but is especially prevalent among teenagers. Many teenagers participate in sports, so it is only natural to wonder if there is any relationship between playing sports and severe acne.

Sports and Severe Acne

If you are an athlete, you may have noticed acne on certain parts of your body that did not have severe acne before you started participating in sports. Can playing sports cause or aggravate acne?

The answer is yes and no. Sweat, the by-product of aggressive sports play, does not in itself cause acne. However, athletes who sweat and wear restrictive clothing may develop what is called acne mechanica. This is not necessarily severe acne, but it can be, and at any rate it can be upsetting to the sufferer. What happens is that the spot where something tight is stretched against the skin, such as shoulder pads, helmet straps or headbands, when aggravated by sweat, can irritate the skin through pressure and repetitive friction, and cause acne to surface or flare-up.

Dealing with Acne Mechanica

The ideal solution to the problem of acne mechanica is to stop wearing the restrictive, irritating clothing. Of course this is not possible for most athletes. Instead, there are preventative steps you can take. One is to wear a clean cotton T-shirt underneath pads and uniform. This will protect your skin to some extent from the irritation. If you typically wear a backpack and find acne in the places where the backpack presses against your skin, consider switching to a briefcase or a shoulder bag, switching shoulders periodically. After an athletic workout, immediately take a shower wash thoroughly with soap and water, paying special attention to those areas where the acne has appeared.

Dealing with Severe Acne

If you have more severe acne that is not caused by skin irritation as in the case of acne mechanica, more intensive treatment may be necessary. Consult your dermatologist for information about your specific case, but you may want to consider that many people have had great success with the Proactiv system of skin treatment products. Proactiv products contain benzoyl peroxide, which has been clinically proven to be effective as an acne fighter. Benzoyl peroxide should help with both acne mechanica and other forms of acne, even severe acne. The Proactiv 3-Step System is not a one-time application that will instantly eliminate your acne. There is no product that will do this, as acne is a chronic condition with no complete cure. What Proactiv does is use its specially formulated version of benzoyl peroxide along with other skin conditioning and cleaning products to reduce the appearance of existing acne and prevent new acne from forming. It helps to unclog pores and kill acne causing bacteria.

If you are an athlete, you don’t have to suffer from acne. Consider the tips above and look into the Proactiv 3-Step System to reduce your acne to a minor inconvenience and get on with your life.