Benefits of sauna for skin are often overlooked, and it’s a shame.
The body’s internal temperature does not really change dramatically, but skin temperature can exceed 104° Fahrenheit.
As a general rule, we associate saunas with weight loss and relaxation. However, saunas are proven to have a great effect on our skin, for both face and body, and in a totally natural way. By improving circulation and allowing us to sweat, toxins are expelled from the body.
Those who go to the sauna regularly have better resistance and are therefore less susceptible to infections.
Skin flakes are loosened in the sauna, making the skin softer and more supple.
Another benefit is that the skin ages less quickly when going for regular sauna baths.
Read on for even more benefits of sauna use for your skin.
Table of Contents
Benefits of sauna for skin: Introduction
Sauna baths cleanse the skin thanks to the heat in the sauna causing the pores to open up, allowing the dirt and sebum to leave the skin more easily.
The cold afterward (cold shower or ice bath) causes the pores to close quickly.
And the skin’s circulation is stimulated thanks to the alternation of hot and cold and opening and closing of the pores.
Thanks to this improved blood flow, the skin is supplied with all the nutrients and therefore looks and feels better.
In addition, sauna baths optimize the moisture and acid content of the stratum corneum. This skin layer protects the skin from dehydration, waste products and sunlight.
Those who suffer from pimples would also do well to go to the sauna regularly as the skin is thoroughly cleansed, from the inside out.
Be sure to remember to drink something before and after a sauna session (water, tea, fruit juice, etc.) and, after a shower, lubricate the skin with a moisturizing body lotion for optimal effect.
Scientifically proven benefit for your skin
An average session in the sauna lasts less than 20 minutes, but all kinds of things are set in motion in your body in this short period.
Once your body temperature rises a bit, wonderful processes are set in motion, including the optimized removal of waste products.
Disposal of wastes
During a sauna visit, your body temperature rises from 98 degrees Fahrenheit to about 100 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. 🌡
That may not seem like much, yet such a temperature difference sets all kinds of processes in motion. Inside your skin are sensors that respond meticulously to changes in temperature.
When your body is in danger of overheating, the blood vessels in your skin dilate and your sweat glands produce extra sweat.
Scientific research has shown that the moisture you lose during a sauna visit comes mainly from your blood.
Once your blood loses moisture, your body tries to restore the balance by drawing moisture from fat, muscle and skin tissues, among others.
This triggers a fluid flow within your body and removes waste products and lactic acids through the blood and then through sweat.
Related post: Is sauna good to lose belly fat? Weight loss myths debunked
Expelling waste is important
Do you go to the sauna regularly? Then waste products that have been stuck in your tissues for a long time also find their way out.
What’s also nice about sauna baths is that they improve your skin. Excess sebum and other dirt stuck in your pores will also sweat out.
Several studies have also shown that your skin actually becomes healthier. For example, the sauna is said to hydrate the stratum corneum and restore a disturbed PH level of the skin.
Sauna as a beauty treatment: Characteristics
Enjoying the sauna is a good way to relax, but it also has a positive effect on your skin.
Did you know that a sauna is one of the oldest and most well-known beauty treatments for the skin? We’ll explain why in a moment.
Detoxification
When under the influence of the high temperatures in the sauna, you begin to sweat, and your skin is automatically cleansed.
Old skin cells are replaced, allowing your skin to repair itself and stay in good condition.
Possible infections are inhibited and the bacteria found in the epidermis or top layer of skin are removed by sweating.
This is precisely why the sauna is also recommended for people who suffer from acne.
Think of it as a natural way to excrete harmful toxins cell by cell.
Nowadays, people often speak of detoxication or a natural way of detoxifying, and a good sauna is exactly that!
Improved blood circulation
In addition, sweating improves blood circulation.
This gives your skin room to breathe resulting in a beautiful, vibrant skin that is soft to the touch.
You can think of sweating as a natural way to ventilate your skin, just as you stimulate your muscles by participating in sports (or by using ab muscle stimulators for example).
The skin is our largest living organ for a reason.
So it is important not only to take good care of it, but it is also important to maintain and train the skin.
Beware: You need to pamper your skin a little extra every once in a while. In fact, your skin is confronted daily with harmful influences, such as exhaust fumes and pollution.
Delayed degradation of collagen
Finally, sweating in a sauna slows down the breakdown of collagen, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and improving your skin’s elasticity.
Therefore, even more than fat, sugar is unhealthy for our skin because it breaks down collagen.
Collagen, in fact, ensures the production of new and healthy skin cells. So enjoying a sauna session makes you look a little younger (because it slows down collagen breakdown).
And who wouldn’t like to look a little younger?
More beautiful skin thanks to the sauna
More beautiful skin by using the sauna regularly is possible. Regular sauna use can improve the health of your skin.
The skin starts to look fresher and younger while also feeling much softer. Interesting, isn’t it?
Here are some practical tips for getting your skin as beautiful and healthy as possible in conjunction with sauna baths.
Step-by-step plan to intensively cleanse your skin during sauna visits
Is sauna good for your skin? Yes! The sauna is the ideal cleansing cure for your skin.
But how do you make a sauna session as optimal as possible for your skin?
Follow the step-by-step plan below to intensely cleanse your skin during your sauna ritual. It’s the best way to reap benefits of sauna for skin.
Hydrate in preparation for a sauna session
Be sure to drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to your sauna session.
You can feel free to drink 0.25 liquid gallons of water during the three hours before your sauna visit.
That way, your body and your skin are well hydrated and ready for a sauna session!
You can also feel free to drink water during the sauna session itself, though your bottle and the water itself is likely to warm up significantly if you take it in with you.
Exfoliate your skin
Start your sauna ritual with an extensive scrub. You can use a glove or washcloth for this purpose.
Pay extra attention to the drier areas of your body, such as your elbows, knees, feet, etc.
Use an appropriate scrub with a finer grain for your face so you don’t damage your skin with an overly aggressive scrub.
Tip: Read our other article for homemade body scrub recipes that are not too aggressive.
This is definitely a concern for those with sensitive or thin skin on the face.
By exfoliating, you remove the dead skin cells in your skin’s epidermis. This is how you accelerate the skin’s regeneration process.
This is the process by which old skin cells, nearing the end of their life span, die off and are replaced by new skin cells.
Because when you exfoliate, you actively remove the dead skin cells themselves and simultaneously stimulate the creation or generation of new cells.
Cell regeneration also equals skin rejuvenation. So by stimulating cell regeneration with an exfoliator, you get younger-looking skin.
Beware: Scrubbing is something you should approach with caution. Don’t do it too roughly or abruptly, and don’t do it too regularly. Check our gentle skin detox guide for more detailed information
Try to find a healthy balance because exfoliating like a maniac will cause skin damage.
Enter the sauna
Now you’re all set to dive into the sauna and reap all the benefits of sauna for skin.
Due to the heat in the wooden sauna cabin, your pores will open up after only a few minutes.
That way, you’re going to start sweating. By sweating, of course, you lose a lot of moisture, but not only that.
Sweating is also the perfect way for your body to get rid of waste products. Substances that your body would rather get rid of than have.
In this way, a sauna session is the ultimate cleansing cure for your skin. In addition, your skin also gets better circulation in the sauna.
You may look like a red tomato when you step out of the sauna… 🥵 But be happy because good blood flow in your skin makes for faster cell regeneration.
In other words, thanks to the sauna, your skin rejuvenates itself at a faster rate. That way, you slow down wrinkle formation and reduce unevenness on your skin.
A blushing, healthy, smooth and even skin is the result!
Take a cold shower
Cold showers or ice baths are a must to get your pores to close back up after the sauna session.
It may not be the most pleasurable aspect of the sauna routine. Still, it is essential to cool down your body, including your skin.
Also, the open blood vessels in your face and skin shrink back due to the cold water, making the redness disappear from your face faster.
Massage in a nourishing and moisturizing skin cream
After the cold shower or an ice bath, it is recommended to re-hydrate your skin.
Just after a sauna session is an ideal time to apply a moisturizing care cream.
Your skin is then very receptive to the ingredients in the cream. Apply the cream generously to your skin in circular motions.
Remember to drink enough water
Adequate hydration and drinking water are important for the body and mind.
So pour yourself a large glass of (fresh) water and drink it slowly. After all, what you drink (and eat) also affects your skin.
Benefits of sauna for skin: Conclusion
If you’re not sure whether to go for a sauna or not, just remember that the benefits for sauna for skin are numerous, proven, and well worth the sweat, especially since all you have to do is sit down and let it work its magic!
At the very least, it will help you relax and feel revitalized afterward so why not give it a try?
Tip: For more health benefits related to sauna use, check our other post Sauna for stress relief & other top health benefits