It's your skin under stress
Psychological tension can appear as "skin stress". Processing it is easier (and more affordable) than you might think.
There are many ways that stress physically affects your skin:
Cortisol, a stress hormone, causes an overproduction of sebum (oil) in your skin glands, which causes acne breakouts.
Stress impacts your immune system, makes your skin more responsive and sensitive, and triggers rashes, hives, and redness.
Stress exacerbates existing inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea, leading to flare-ups.
Stress can make you jittery or anxious, prick you with scabs or acne, or scratch your skin until it turns red or breaks.
Tips for keeping your skin (and your mind) stress free.
There are many things you can do at home to reduce the effects of stress on your skin.
Maintain a good skin care routine every day, even on days when you are feeling overly tired or anxious. If stress is making you feel tired, you may not want to remove your makeup and wash your face before bed. But still try to stick to your routine, as neglect could make your skin problems worse.
Regular exercise
Exercise releases "happy hormones" that can improve your energy, mood and outlook.
Balanced diet
Eat a balanced diet with whole foods and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Processed foods that are high in sugar trigger more inflammation inside your body.
Get enough sleep
Sleep gives your body the needed time to rest and heal, and good sleep improves your mood, energy levels, and cognition.
Take time for yourself. Find the time to engage in a relaxing and invigorating activity that makes you happy - read a book, take a hot bath, get a massage, listen to music, meditate and practice yoga and deep breathing exercises.
Stress stimulates the hormone cortisol. When you are stressed, it affects every organ in your body.
- Blood vessels become more fragile
- Skin cells do not form as quickly
- Cell renewal ends up slowing down by half!
Stress also causes you to eat differently. Are you drinking less water? Craving chocolate or chips all the time?
How stress can affect quickly your skin
Anger can also affect quickly your skin rejuvenates and heals. Once again, this pesky hormone, cortisol, takes center stage.
This limits the production of collagen, this great anti-aging agent, and you definitely don't want it!
There are microbes that feed on sebum and helps maintain healthy oil levels. There are microbes that feed on dead skin cells - the original exfoliators!
There are microbes that produce peptides and ceramides, two beauty ingredients that keep the skin firm and hydrated. There are microbes that offer protection against pollution, sunlight, and invading pathogens.