Working out at the gym

Why it can be risky:

• Bacterial or fungal infections. Hot, sweaty gyms are the perfect environment for bacteria and fungus to thrive. Germs can survive on mats, weights, equipment, exercise machines and sweaty clothes. When these harmful organisms enter your body through cuts or openings, infection can result.

• Dehydration. Indoor air is often dry, because it’s heated in the winter or air-conditioned in the summer. Dry air zaps skin’s moisture. To make matters worse, exercising and sweating speed up the rate at which your body loses water. If dehydration sets in, “blood flow to your skin is reduced,” explains the Web site, Women Fitness. Reduced blood flow diminishes necessary nutrients for skin repair and renewal. Consequently, your complexion may take on an unhealthy color and develop dryness or flaking.

How you can protect your skin:

• Clean off equipment. Before you hop on that bike or sit at a weight machine, grab a clean towel and wipe off the equipment to remove germs. If possible, sit on another towel: It acts as a barrier between your skin and germ-covered surfaces.

• Drink up. Downing water regularly keeps you hydrated. Aim for a pint a couple hours before your workout, then half a pint right before your workout and “every 15 minutes” while exercising, advises Women Fitness.

• Shower and change ASAP. The longer you stay in damp, sweaty clothes after your workout, the longer bacteria stay in contact with your skin. In addition, wet clothes can cause an uncomfortable, itchy rash.

Playing outdoor sports

Why it can be risky:

• UV damage. The sun’s harmful UV rays are linked with painful sunburns and unattractive signs of aging, like lines, wrinkles, dryness, sagging and spots. UV exposure also significantly increases your risk for skin cancer.

• Heat rash. When the temperature is high and you’re hot from your sports activity, heat rash can set in. If pores become clogged, then they can’t release perspiration to cool you off, and sweat becomes trapped under your skin. Heat rash shows up “as clusters of red spots or small, blisterlike bumps that are extremely itchy or prickly,” according to Mayo Clinic.

• Acne. From outdoor heat and exercise, profuse sweating can mix with oil, bacteria and dead skin cells, attracting dirt and resulting in clogged pores and acne.

How you can protect your skin:

• Glop on the sunscreen. Choose a formula that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, so you’re shielded from sunburn, signs of aging and cancer. Pick a sunscreen that won’t run into your eyes and sting when you’re sweating from exercise or sports. A perfect choice is Jack Black Sun Guard Oil-Free Very Water/Sweat Resistant Sunscreen SPF 30+. Skip heavy, waxy, creamy sunscreens. These products can clog pores, which contributes to acne and heat rash.

• Dress in loose, lightweight clothing. This allows skin to breathe, reducing your heat rash risk.

• Wash your face. Remove the sweat, oil and bacteria that build up on your face following your workout. Philosophy Purity Made Simple High Foaming Daily Cleanser banishes these offenders without causing tight, dry, itchy skin.

Swimming

Why it can be risky:

• Dryness. Pools are loaded with chlorine to kill germs and keep the water clean. Unfortunately, chlorine has a major drying effect on your skin, and leaves behind that tell-tale smell, too.

How you can protect your skin:

• Shower right away. This will wash off chlorine, preventing it from drying out your skin. Try AHAVA Mineral Shower Gel, which creates a rich lather with botanical moisturizers and aloe vera.

• Moisturize. After showering, apply body lotion to lock in hydration. Avoid fragranced or perfumed lotions, which can be drying or irritating to skin. Select a fragrance-free product, like U-Lactin Dry Skin Lotion. The urea and lactic acid formula re-hydrates and softens skin.

Hiking and camping

Why they can be risky:

• Poison ivy and poison oak. These plants contain sticky oil called urushiol. It sticks to almost anything — including clothing, camping gear and pet fur — and then irritates your skin when you touch these items. Your body launches an immune response against urushiol, with symptoms such as rash, itchiness, swelling and blisters. These can take hours or even days to show up after your skin has absorbed the oil.

• Bug bites. As you tramp through woods, grass and trails, you’re invading bug country. Mosquito bites leave itchy welts, while chigger bites leave redness, itching and swelling. Tic bites cause bumps and a rash resembling a bull’s-eye. Tics can also carry Lyme disease, which causes flu-like symptoms and joint pain, notes Mayo Clinic.
• UV damage. As with other outdoor athletes, hikers and campers are extremely vulnerable to UV rays, skin damage, sunburn and skin cancer.

How you can protect your skin:

• Don long sleeves and long pants. They’ll prevent poison ivy, poison oak and bugs from coming into contact with your skin. Tuck socks into your pants. Remember, though, that urushiol oil can stick to your clothes, so wash them after your hike or camping trip. If possible, wear light colors.

• Use ivy blocker or insect repellant. Ivy blocker often contains bentoquatam, which acts as a barrier so your skin can’t absorb urushiol. Insect repellants keep bugs at bay. Don’t wear perfume or cologne; these attract insects.

• Keep bug bites and rashes clean. Been bitten by bugs or have a rash from poison plants? Wash the area thoroughly with water and soap, and apply rubbing alcohol as soon as you can.

• Try not to itch. Hydrocortisone cream, like moisturizing Peter Thomas Roth Aloe Cort-Cream, can relieve the itch. Cool compresses may be helpful, too. You can also take oral antihistamines, though these may cause drowsiness. Itching introduces bacteria into the skin and could lead to a potentially-serious blood infection. If you have redness and swelling, or if the area feels warm, you may have an infection, so seek immediate medical attention.

• Remember your sunblock!

Gardening

Why it can be risky:

• UV damage. Especially for gardeners, hands are prone to UV damage. UV rays break down collagen and elastin — proteins that give skin its structure — and dry out skin. Loss of collagen, elastin and moisture can lead to wrinkled hands. In addition, UV rays stimulate melanocyte cells to produce melanin pigment, resulting in brown or black age spots on hands, explains Gary Goldfaden, M.D., in Life Extension.

• Bug bites. Creepy crawlers abound when you’re gardening, whether it’s red ants or mosquitoes.

• Irritation from gardening chemicals. According to the Web site, Safe Gardening, chemicals and pesticides have been linked with “skin irritation and respiratory problems,” as well as chronic health problems over time.

How you can protect your skin:

• Use sun smarts. Follow the usual protocol — sunblock, protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses. Avoid being outdoors during midday hours when the sun is the strongest.
• Spray on insect repellant and ivy blocker.
• Invest in gardening gloves. They’ll protect your hands from dangerous UV rays, as well as scrapes, cuts and blisters from thorns.
• Slather on protective hand moisturizers. Antioxidants — like vitamins A, E, alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10 and DMAE — defend against free radical and UV damage. These substances can even boost collagen production, reduce wrinkle depth, improve skin texture and reverse some existing damage. Check out Topix Citrix Antioxidant Body Lotion, with vitamins A, C, E and coenzyme Q10.
• Go organic. Skip pesticides and chemicals in your garden to minimize skin irritation and other risks.

Dancing

Why it can be risky:

• Calluses. Rough, tough, hardened, thick skin can build up on the bottoms of your feet from repeated contact with hard floors. Most people slough off their calluses; dancers, however, often opt to keep them, because calluses offer some foot protection. Unfortunately, they can tear or rip, causing infection.

• Warts. Common in dancers, warts are caused by virus organisms that live on floors. These flat, cauliflower-like spots are painful when pinched.

How you can protect your skin:

• Care for calluses. “Don’t cut your calluses all the way down,” advises Thomas Novella in Dance Magazine. Instead, prevent them from splitting or tearing by using a lanolin moisturizer, like Bliss Foot Patrol, twice a day. If your calluses do tear, gently wash them with warm water and soap. Keep them covered with bandages to prevent infection.

• Treat warts. Topical treatments, such as Pedinol Sal-Plant Gel, may help foot warts. You can also cover them with tape or foam doughnuts.

Playing musical instruments

Why it can be risky:

• Contact dermatitis. Musicians can be sensitive or allergic to metals — like nickel and chromium — or woods — like rosewood and ebony — found in instruments. Polishes, cleaners or rosins are other culprits. These can cause contact dermatitis symptoms, such as rashes, breakouts, eczema and irritation, along lips, chins, fingers or any skin that comes in contact with the instrument.

• Rubbing or chafing from the instrument. Depending on what you play and where or how your instrument is held, it can rub against certain areas, causing irritation, reddening, thickening and bumps. Examples are “fiddler’s neck,” “guitarist’s nipple,” “cellist’s chest” and “flautist’s chin.”

• Blisters or calluses. String players often get blisters or calluses on their fingers, particularly when first starting out and learning how to play.

• Chapped lips and cold sores. These are often seen in brass or woodwind players.

• Acne and ingrown hairs. Violinists and violists can develop cysts and pimples along their chins, necks and faces. Acne results from the oil and bacteria, which build up on the instrument’s plastic chin rest. Similarly, oil and bacteria can inflame hair follicles and cause ingrown facial hairs.

How you can protect your skin:

• Try a different material. Allergic to a certain wood or metal? Test an instrument, reed, mouthpiece, cleaner or other accessory made of a different variety.
• Use proper technique. Be sure that you’re using the correct size instrument for your body and holding it properly to avoid rubbing, chafing and irritation.
• Limit practice session lengths and gradually build up. This helps your fingers get used to the instrument — particularly if you’re a string player — and can minimize skin blisters and nail damage.
• Keep your instrument clean. This prevents acne-causing bacteria and oil from building up. String players may want to place a fresh, clean cloth over the chin rest each time they play to avoid transferring both oil and bacteria onto their skin.
• Treat your pores. Bliss Ingrown Hair Eliminating Peeling Pads contain glycolic and salicylic acids to prevent acne and ingrown hairs by keeping pores clear.
• Moisturize your lips. Brass and woodwind players can avoid dry, chapped, irritated lips with protective Avene Cold Cream Lip Balm.

Playing video games

Why it can be risky:

• Sores and bumps. Strange but true: Playing video games excessively — for hours and hours each day — may lead to red, painful bumps and sores on the hands. The case of a 12-year-old girl was published in the British Journal of Dermatology. Called eccrine hidradenitis, this condition typically produces symptoms on the hands and feet due to profuse sweating after vigorous activity. In this case, however, “doctors suspect that the problem was caused by tight and continuous grasping of the console’s hand-grips, and repeated pushing of the buttons,” plus oil and sweat, reports the BBC. Video game companies and dermatologists agree that more studies are necessary to determine the implications for skin.

How you can protect your skin:

• Take a break. Put down the controller and give hands a periodic rest, particularly if they’re perspiration-prone, advises Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists. The girl’s symptoms went away after she took a 10-day hiatus from video games.

See also:

Jobs That Can Irritate Your Skin (and a Slew of Solutions)

Eczema

5 DIY Treatments to Boost Winter Skin and Hair