When I talk of fighting acne with swimming I’m not just referring to the exercise part that will make you healthy – there’s more to it than that.

Swimming has always been known for it’s health benefits and it is suitable for any age and weight because there’s no pressure on the joints.  It’s also great for people of all levels of fitness because you can set your own pace and progress for there.

So how can swimming possibly help in fighting acne other than general health benefits?

Other than the fact that exercise promotes healthy skin, swimming forces slow deep breathing which allows more oxygen to transport around the body.  Since more oxygen is being processed it means that toxins and dead cells are removed more efficiently and it also promotes cell regeneration.

Another key point is that because your whole body is underwater your skin is open to more moisture absorption.

The water you swim in will contain chlorine or salt if your swimming in the sea.  The cleansing qualities of these substances will be absorbed by the skin which will kill be effective at killing acne causing bacteria.

Remember that salt is drying to the skin which can reduce sebum (oil) production but if your skin is overexposed to salt water it could cause excessive drying of the skin.  This causes the sebaceous glands to composite for the moisture loss and produce excess amounts of oil which can block the pores and cause break outs.

There are many swimmers that have great skin but there are also those that still have acne.  So the point is that swimming more will not cure your acne but it can help and make it better than what it would be.

There are so many ways of fighting acne.  It usually take a combination of nutrition, exercise and other changes to your lifestyle.  If you have any stories you’d like to share on things you do to help your acne feel free to share them below!