# Sauna use + spot breakouts



## tompei

I enjoy using the sauna after a workout, which I always immediately follow with a shower and body scrub. However, I've been experiencing bad breakouts of spots on my back following sauna usage and it's put me off using it from now on. Was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I guess it is because my body is sweating out toxins. If I used the sauna every day would this have good health benefits or am I best to avoid it completely? I also read somewhere that heat is just as benefical is cold when it comes to improving recovery times, is that correct?

Thanks for any responses in advance.


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## Ollie B

Im interested to know about this. will keep close tabs to this thread


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## Suprakill4

Ollie B said:


> Im interested to know about this. will keep close tabs to this thread


Me too as since going in steam room/sauna i get spots too.


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## Guest

i find that if i start using the sauna after not using it for a few weeks/months, then after a few days i come out in spots but after a week or so they go away and my skin is very clear.... no science though sorry


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## jjj

in the long run its better for the acne, at first your sweating all the s!it out your pours, so they LOOK worse, more red and puffy, but once its all out, regular sauna use will help keep the skin cleaner as it wont let as much dirt and oil build up, just make sure you defo have a shower after!! or even better a quick dip in the pool, the chlorine will help too, especially with your pores now open.


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## tompei

I might try blitzing myself everyday for the next two weeks... I'll let you know how I get on!


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## donggle

i've found that saunas make acne worse aswell. it's a temporary thing though.


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## Guest

i have had the same problem with spots i put it down to a heat type rash, then one day i noticed little blisters all over my back after a sauna and looked at the backreast and found the screws in the sauna were so hot they gave the blisters.


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## PHHead

I swim after I work out to warm down then use the steam room then sauna to relax the muscles, never found it to give me spots though, I have always been told it is good for your skin becuase it clears the pours, although you should have a cold shower to close the pours strait after overwise it will not have the right effect!


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## nathanlowe

It brought out more spots so i decided not to use anymore and put up with the few i had.


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## GSleigh

Sauna/Stream room...

Intersting one this.

We have two swedish guys that are in ours all the time. They love it. 10 mins, cold shower, 10 mins cold shower, 10 mins colder shower done and recover.

They told me some interesting things about using these facilities.

Firstly... Polution and toxins. Walking around every day we pick up this from car fumes, general dirt etc like you see building up on buildings.

By regularly using Steam room etc it allows the skin to actually open the poors and reduce the level of dirt and toxins. Now i am sure we all knew this but to what level?

Well ive been told that enough to actually protect the skin against skin cancer and other skin issues.

With spots etc... I get the same, short term it brings me out in them. Regular use and they die down and the skin is healthy.

What i always wanted to know though......

DO they have any effect on muscle growth? Stunt or aid? because surely the heat and the lack of moisture in the muscle for a short period must have some effect. Ive found nothing however to provide me with any information on this.


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## Hobbit JT

I guess if you keep hydrated your muscle growth should be fine, the only thing I could see having an effect on muscle growth is the calories burned and metabolism increase which could create possible calorie defecit??????

I hadn't used the sauna in ages, normally I use steam and jacuzzi twice a week and Im ok, but I used the sauna the other day due to maintenance in the steam room and got several small light spots on my upper back and 4/5 on my face.....I dont normally get spots at all but I am 17 so.... it could just be me.


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## muscle01

I use the sauna & steam on a regular basis & have never had this problem. You have to be carefull regards using them, as you can pick up certain bacteria which could result in spots-or worse.


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## MissBC

Yea saunas are an awesome way of clearing out your system so all the crap and oils and **** will come out, your body will purge them for a week or 2 and then your skin should be pretty good after and you will feel a whole lot better!!

Cant really help it cause your body has to get rid of your toxins some how, you may find that your pee is different too


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## ba baracuss

GSleigh said:


> Sauna/Stream room...
> 
> Intersting one this.
> 
> We have two swedish guys that are in ours all the time. They love it. 10 mins, cold shower, 10 mins cold shower, 10 mins colder shower done and recover.
> 
> They told me some interesting things about using these facilities.
> 
> Firstly... Polution and toxins. Walking around every day we pick up this from car fumes, general dirt etc like you see building up on buildings.
> 
> By regularly using Steam room etc it allows the skin to actually open the poors and reduce the level of dirt and toxins. Now i am sure we all knew this but to what level?
> 
> Well ive been told that enough to actually protect the skin against skin cancer and other skin issues.
> 
> With spots etc... I get the same, short term it brings me out in them. Regular use and they die down and the skin is healthy.
> 
> What i always wanted to know though......
> 
> *DO they have any effect on muscle growth? Stunt or aid? because surely the heat and the lack of moisture in the muscle for a short period must have some effect. Ive found nothing however to provide me with any information on this*.


Just take a bottle of water in with you and regularly neck it, so you're basically replacing what you are sweating out.

The steam room is ace, especially on cold winter days and makes your skin feel deeply cleansed :thumbup1:


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## muscle01

I find the steam room really helps with my asthma


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## jjb1

i cut out having regular saunas a while ago and my skins been much better tbh


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## warren

my steam room has a dip pool right outside, so stay in untill i have to leave, wash face while im in and then jump straight into the splash pool which is like 2-3 degrees ( guess lol) either way makes me nuts go tiny hahah


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## BILTnTONED

Hello fellow biltatrons! I have a sauna in my house and I use it about once or twice a week.

I think the reason why you are getting sports on your back is probably because of the toxins which are being brought to the top of the skin (through sweating). When the toxins don't reach it all the way out, they can cause spots. If you use it regularly, and eat healthily, most of those toxins will be 'detoxified'.

Read at the bottom of this page past the products (At the bottom) - sauna benefits


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## SD

I did an article here on this ages ago, couldnt find much evidence one way or the other as to benefits to Bbers. My query was, if all that blood is diverted to the skin, is it coming from my muscles who probably need it at that point to grow?

I know that during my sauna usage, spots get worse before they get better, you do have to go regularly to see the benefits of it.

I like it because it raises dopamines as the heat causes a stress response after a while, followed with a freezing cold shower the effect is amazing, I am buzzing for hours lol.

SD


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## tedder

So how many times a week would be a good amount to use sauna or steam room or even both on the same day ??


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## SD

tedder said:


> So how many times a week would be a good amount to use sauna or steam room or even both on the same day ??


 I go about 4 times per week, dont get any spots but I am not prone anyway. Just go as often as you please, my family in Finland Sauna (pronounced Sowna) sauna every day, but unlike the endurance activity most Brits make it, they go in for 5-10 minutes, have a cold dip, then repeat about three times.

SD


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## tedder

thanx SD ill try that tomorow to get rid of these winter chills then


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## SD

cut & paste

*Sauna Detoxification*

*How a sauna can help you detoxify*

The main health benefit of sauna bathing is its ability to aid in detoxification processes. Of all detoxification methods, sauna is one of the easiest and it can be used by just about anyone (check with your doctor first if you have any health issues).

Let's talk about three sauna detoxification mechanisms:



*1.* creating an artificial fever

*2.* lymph detoxification

*3.* liver and kidney support

*Heat Therapy*

Using a sauna to raise your body's temperature has sort of a cascading effect, including


creating an articial fever, which...

activates your immune system, and this

increases white blood cell activity, thus

helping kill off microbes (bacteria) in the process.


Heat therapy, also known as fever therapy or hyperthermia, is an effective way to help your body kill


bacteria,

fungi,

parasites, and

viruses.


In his book Sauna Therapy







, sauna expert Dr. Lawrence Wilson wrote:

"Heating the body several degrees causes greatly increased circulation as the body attempts to maintain its basal temperature. This helps to dislodge toxins, especially from hard-to-reach areas such as teeth, bones and sinuses."

He went on to say that many pathological organisms (virus, bacteria) are heat-sensitive, and a sauna's heat may weaken or kill them altogether.

*Lymph Detoxification*

Your lymphatic system is a *huge* part of your detoxification and immune systems.

Waste material is carried away from your body's cells by blood and lymph fluid.

Since sweating helps detoxify your body, sauna and steam bathing help support lymphatic function.

In fact, sweat is manufactured from lymph. So toxins that are present in lymph fluid can leave your body through sweat.

*Liver and Kidney Support*

Some people might ask...

Why do I need a sauna to detox - doesn't that job belong to my liver and kidneys?

And my answer to that would be...

Yes, but why not help them out?

Saunas help give your hard working liver and kidneys a break. How?

Well&#8230; this is one of the beautiful things about the sauna&#8230;

Toxins that are dealt with by your liver and kidneys can be eliminated through sweat.

So the heavy sweating caused by the sauna heat gives your liver and kidneys a sigh of relief.

In Sauna Therapy, Dr. Wilson included this quote from Dr. Michael Lyon, MD:

"Since sweat is manufactured from lymph, toxins present in the lymph fluid will exit the body through the sweat. Because the liver and kidneys are not required for this process, these organs are largely unburdened by hyperthermic therapy and toxins are able to leave the body even when liver or kidney function is impaired."

Heavy sweating in a sauna helps enhance toxin elimination through your skin, unburdening your liver and kidneys.

The skin is often referenced to as your body's third kidney. Not only is skin your largest organ - but as you can see it also plays an important role in helping detoxify your body.

Health professionals say that it's responsible for eliminating up to 30% of your body's wastes!

Now that's a lot of waste.

So you could say that taking a sauna is like taking a shower from the inside out.


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## muscle01

tompei said:


> I enjoy using the sauna after a workout, which I always immediately follow with a shower and body scrub. However, I've been experiencing bad breakouts of spots on my back following sauna usage and it's put me off using it from now on. Was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I guess it is because my body is sweating out toxins. If I used the sauna every day would this have good health benefits or am I best to avoid it completely? I also read somewhere that heat is just as benefical is cold when it comes to improving recovery times, is that correct?
> 
> Thanks for any responses in advance.


I am a avid sauna & steam user - have been for years. However, you can pick up lots of viruses & bacteria problems from using these. Think about it - you sit or lay down in other individuals sweat - amongst other things.


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## SD

muscle01 said:


> I am a avid sauna & steam user - have been for years. However, you can pick up lots of viruses & bacteria problems from using these. Think about it - you sit or lay down in other individuals sweat - amongst other things.


 You should always shower before and after a sauna for hygiene, plus the bacteris your talking about are mostly normal skin flora, not that they will do well at the 85degree temp in a sauna.

I have never picked up a disease from a sauna, but I certainly wouldnt eat me dinner off the benches either lol.

SD


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## gerg

maybe the spots on your back are from sitting back against where other sweaty people have been spreading their germs

gyms are one of the worst places for catching skin infections


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## blueallblue

I use the sauna regular,but if for some reason i cant ,it takes a few weeks for my skin to settle down again,you should always take a cold shower after it to close your pores,a good tip is to run your wrist under a cold tap for two mins and this will bring your core temp down,the reason being is that your wrists are where your blood is closest to your skin and it will circulate the cooled blood around your body.A lot off runners do this to get their core temp down after a long run.


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## gerg

blueallblue said:


> I use the sauna regular,but if for some reason i cant ,it takes a few weeks for my skin to settle down again,you should always take a cold shower after it to close your pores,a good tip is to run your wrist under a cold tap for two mins and this will bring your core temp down,the reason being is that your wrists are where your blood is closest to your skin and it will circulate the cooled blood around your body.A lot off runners do this to get their core temp down after a long run.


best place is under your armpits, but you won't catch many people subjecting themselves to that!

most gyms have a plunge pool or bucket shower anyway


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## Joshua

> DO they have any effect on muscle growth? Stunt or aid? because surely the heat and the lack of moisture in the muscle for a short period must have some effect. Ive found nothing however to provide me with any information on this.


Short bouts of hyperthermia cause some substantial effects via activation of a thing called "Heat Shock Proteins". These stress proteins are involved in a number of systems ranging from cardiovascular, immune function to liver function. There is some evidence that they can help dampen autoimmune diseases, and are involved in helping the cell and proteins form in the correct way and can slow tumour growth. The effects are quite wide ranging and there is a considerable amount of uncertainty as to how the pieces of the jigsaw fit together.

As we get older, some Heat Shock Proteins are not as easily expressed as when we are younger.

Do a search for HSP70 or "heat shock protein" for further info.

J


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## Jamin

i read an article in muscle and fitness last yr, and sure it said that sauna use increases the bodys natural growth hormone?! will try find this again now..


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## gerg

Jamin said:


> i read an article in muscle and fitness last yr, and sure it said that sauna use increases the bodys natural growth hormone?! will try find this again now..


and i read an article in m&f that said i could add 3" to my bicepts in a day!* 

*may be an exaggeration


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## BILTnTONED

gerg said:


> and i read an article in m&f that said i could add 3" to my bicepts in a day!*
> 
> *may be an exaggeration


  haha, legend. If that's the case, I'm gonna sauna in the morning before work. I just got out the sauna now: I just feel like doing a workout! I used to do the Navy seal workout religiously: I think I will start that again


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## scoobylaw

My Gym has a sauna & a steam room am i better using one or the other or useing both on each visit. My reasons for using are recovery and spot clearing!


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## The Bam

Your answer to spots is, the heat is opening your pours then you will be allowing bacteria into the pour, giving bacteria a lovely place to grow into a spot, shower thoroughly before and after as well as this I would up your daily water intake to hold them at bay


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## shadow sniper

ur dehydrating urself m8 u need to replace the water u sweat out sauna clears up spots


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