Impact of lifestyle on skin barrier health

An active lifestyle is essential for both physical and mental wellbeing. Everybody, regardless of age, size, shape and ability are encouraged to be active every day. Exercise however isn't exclusively beneficial and it can bring challenges to maintaining health. For example, many people can develop significant negative effects on their skin, including inflammatory, infectious and traumatic lesions. For those who have active lifestyles as well as skin concerns, exercise can present a real dilemma. The domino effect of training and sweating can cause severe itching, rashes, spots and flakiness to skin. This is particularly the case for individuals with underlying skin conditions such as eczema, for whom sweating is a long acknowledged exacerbating factor (2,3). In addition, quick changes in temperature such as occur with exercise can bring about dreaded skin flare ups and itch. For example, rosacea flare-ups can be induced by a sharp rise in body temperature, which can be caused, or exacerbated by intense exercise.Whilst the existence of exercise related dermatological conditions is well documented in the literature, the fundamental basis for these and the effects of exercise on otherwise healthy skin is less well known. Moreover, there has yet been no study evaluating the impact of sportive activity on the skin's barrier function. Regulation of the skin's stratum corneum barrier is under tight biological control and is known to be damaged under a range of environmental conditions. Intense exercise, particularly with its associated excessive sweating is also likely to have a similar impact. This study will provide a comprehensive, fundamental understanding of the effects of exercise and its associated environmental stresses on the skin's barrier and function. Ultimately such information will be invaluable in empowering individuals to make choices in relation to their skincare to relieve exercise induced skin problems so that their access to the benefits of exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle is improved.