Physical exercise and skin microcirculation

One of the main role of skin is its involvement in thermoregulation. Skin blood flow (SkBF) is subject to great variations, depending on the environmental and body thermal status. Physical exercise imposes heat stress for the body and thus skin microcirculation. To achieve thermal homeostasis, SkBF and sweating are increased in response to exercise. The thermoregulatory response of SkBF during exercise differs from that at rest in the threshold for vasodilation and the sensitivity of the “SkBF-to-core temperature slope”. The purpose of this review is to highlight the response of skin microcirculation to physical exercise.