In a world-first, Swedish wellness and beauty tech brand, FOREO, has found the workout formula to give you the best skin of your life

Imagine if you could anti-age, reduce blemishes and increase your glow, all in one workout regime? Working with a top team of skin and fitness experts, the brand that prides itself on activating beauty regimes everywhere, FOREO, has undergone extensive research into the benefits of exercise on the skin. Proving that working out, if done in the right way, can actually help improve skin health.

A report was commissioned by FOREO, written by Dr Anita Sturnham, GP specialising in Dermatology, and the workout created by celebrity trainer, Ciara London.

Ciara London says:

I feel like my skin is nicer after a workout. Sometimes I walk into the gym and feel pale, washed out, and that my skin looks blemished and then, when I leave, my skin is glowing. So, I was not surprised to see the results of the FOREO report, I suspected it, but it’s amazing to see it proven – that exercise can actually help improve the appearance of the skin.

In a report commissioned by FOREO, written by Dr Anita Sturnham, GP specialising in Dermatology, it was discovered that certain exercise programs can promote skin health, impacting anything from cellular aging, to radiance and acne. So, you can actually plan how you want to improve or protect your skin, by the choice of exercise you undertake. The intensity levels of exercise, the length of session, and even the time of day and physical environment play a role in the health and appearance of our skin, so as an example:

  • Resistance training paired with yoga is the best workout combination for boosting radiance in your skin
  • Moderate intensity workouts such as cycling are recommended for reducing acne and breakouts
  • High-intensity interval workouts such as HIIT appear to be best for reducing free radical damage and boosting collagen

Dr Anita Sturnham, author of the research report said:

We all know how important it is for our health that we exercise regularly, but the impact of exercise on your skin is something that has been little documented, until now. It has been fascinating to delve deeper into the relationship between the two and I hope that this work done by FOREO will encourage others to consider certain types of exercise as a beneficial element to our skincare regimes.

Dr Sturnham continues:

If you are choosing to tailor your workout to also benefit your skin, then it’s important to remember that caring for it topically is also of paramount importance. However you exercise, sweating is inevitable, and while this is an important bodily function for removing toxins and impurities, leaving it on the skin can result in clogged pores and dehydration. If you’re not removing the sweat from the skin, then all the hard work you have done in your skin boosting exercise regime becomes redundant.

A workout was created by celebrity personal trainer, Ciara London

From the findings, top fitness trainer Ciara London, was recruited by the brand to bring to life what the best ever skin workout could be. Ciara has created the ultimate routine that can be done by anyone, anywhere, meaning that your workout can result in better skin and a healthier body.  

Ciara says:

It takes confidence to head to the gym bare faced. But the trouble with working out with make-up on is that it clogs the pores. Then, if you also don’t remove sweat post exercise, your skin gets worse, so you want to wear more make-up to cover it – it’s catch 22.  A lot of females get embarrassed by sweat and redness. I always try to encourage sweat. It’s good for you, don’t be embarrassed, it means your working hard, exercising well. But it’s also important that you remove the sweat in the best possible way, or you won’t feel the benefits of working out on your skin too.

I was also interested in the fact that the report ties in with people’s busy lifestyles. There is an emphasis from the report on short, sharp workouts. Women feel guilty if they haven’t done 1.5 -2 hours, but actually less time than that is still good for your body, but also your skin, so the time-saving element is also a plus point.”

The workout is a 45-minute workout that focuses on low-intensity resistance training, yoga and light HIIT.

Nora Zukauskaite, UK Head of Marketing at FOREO says:

At FOREO we put our consumer at the heart of everything we do, aiming to transform daily routines into vibrant rituals. In a recent survey we ran, 81% of people thought it’s important to look after your skin, especially if you workout regularly. This is what led us to wonder, what if you could workout and care for your skin at the same time? We’re extremely proud of this research report and combined with the workout, as well as a comprehensive post-workout skincare regime we hope that it will help time-poor exercise fans to care for their complexion as well as their body.