How to Care for Your Skin Like an Olympic Athlete

This week is Apolo Anton Ohno’s birthday, which got us wondering how the busy Olympic athlete turned TV-star keeps his skin looking so awesome.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old is likely best known as the short track speed skating pro and eight-time medalist in the Winter Olympics. Following his retirement from competition, he went on to become a motivational speaker, appeared on and won Dancing with the Stars, hosted Minute to Win It, and served as commentator on NBC for the 2014 Winter Games in Socchi.

Needless to say, the pressure is on to keep up a healthy appearance. While we don’t know his skin care secrets, here’s our best guess of what his regimen looks likes, or at least one we think would be fitting for him.

1. Cleanse

I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, cleansing is the first and most important step. Particularly for Ohno being in front of the camera, he has likely seen his share of pan-cake makeup (it’s inevitable, even for guys). This can significantly clog the skin, trapping other debris – sweat, dead cells, etc. – deep in the pores. Cleanse for 1 to 2 minutes with warm water and a cloth to help prevent the buildup and breakouts. This goes for all guys, no matter your occupation. Even if you aren’t wearing pan-cake makeup, cleansing is still important.

2. Exfoliate

Ohno seems to keep a fairly clean-shaven appearance with the exception of an occasional goatee. Shaving is a great, and easy, way to keep the skin exfoliated, but the rest of the skin needs the same attention. Use a granular scrub to remove surface skin cell build up. You can easily do this while in the shower by working the scrub in to the face and neck for several minutes...gently! For the shaving part, a glycerin-based shave gel and antioxidant shave oil will help prevent ingrown hairs, over drying and irritated skin.

3. Tone

Whether speed skating, dancing with the stars, or being in front of the lights and cameras, Ohno likely works up a good sweat. A toner can help the skin feel refreshed and hydrated all day. Toners are best applied after cleansing and shaving.

4. Restore and Build

While not old by any stretch of the imagination, Ohno is in the age range when a few preventative measures can have lasting results. For this, an antioxidant and skin-firming peptide serum will work well to “freeze” wrinkles, keep skin healthy and help maintain a youthful appearance. Who doesn’t want that? Being in the spotlight, he may also want to pay special attention to the eyes. For this, a peptide and retinol-based eye formula will do well to regenerate the eye area while stimulating collagen-forming cells.

5. Protect

Last, but certainly not least, protection is of utmost importance. Though he may not spend a lot of time outdoors with his occupation, UV protection is the single best way to prevent skin aging. A good zinc-based mineral blocker will help keep skin healthy and protected.

There you have it – five simple steps to camera-ready skin. Happy Birthday to Apolo Anton Ohno, and here’s to many years of great skin.