We all know that stress affects our bodies in many ways. But do you know that stress affects our skin too? Yes! Stress effects can be seen clearly on your skin. Can’t believe it? Read this article and you will know how stress can affect your skin.
We all know that stress is basically a physical response to events and situations and is caused by the “fight or flight” hormones like adrenalin released in our bodies. There are a lot of ways stress affects your health physically and mentally, like when it’s difficult for you to cope with pressures like switching jobs, moving house, etc. However, everyone reacts to it differently depending on their personality and the way they respond to challenging situations. This behavior decides how much does stress affect your body.
Apart from what does stress do to your body chemically, there are some ways how it affects your appearance. We have got you 7 ways stress affects our skin. Here we go…
How does stress affect skin health?
Your face shows the effects of chronic stress in two ways. First, stress hormones can lead to several physiological changes that impact your skin negatively. Second, when you’re stressed out, you may develop a bad habit of biting your lips and grinding your teeth.
Although there are a lot of skin conditions caused by stress and anxiety, here are the 7 effects of stress on your skin.
1. makes skin problems worse
If you’re already dealing with any skin problems, being stressed out can worsen them.
But, how does stress affect your skin condition?
We’ve got the answer. For example, if you are suffering from eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea, being stressed can aggravate these conditions. Not only this but there are other stress-related skin conditions including several skin rashes like hives. can trigger an outburst of fever blisters.
2. interferes with your skincare routine
While you’re stressed, you might not give proper time to your skincare routine. And that is the worst part… It can give rise to numerous skin issues. And what’s more? Having skin issues can also be stressful.
Many of us may not say but you can feel so bad about how stress affects your appearance. So, if you ever have a skin problem that does not heal or keeps returning, take some time to think about how you handle stress.
3. Causes acne breakout
Do you suffer from frequent acne breakouts?
Acne is one of the problems that stress causes. Thinking about how does stress affect your face?
When we feel stressed, our body tends to produce more cortisol hormone which in turn causes the hypothalamus (a part of the brain) to produce a corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). This CRH stimulates oil release from sebaceous glands which surround the hair follicles. Ultimately, excessive oil production clogs the pores and leads to acne breakout.
4.Bags under the eyes
Do you see swelling or puffiness beneath your eyelids? These are bags under your eyes and they become more common as you age because the supporting muscles around the eyes weaken with time. However, sagging skin due to loss of elasticity also contributes to eye bags.
You can also see visible effects of stress on skin aging. These signs include fine lines, uneven skin tone, and reduced elasticity which is a reason for bags under your eyes.
5. Dry skin
Do you wonder does stress causes dry and dull skin? Yes, it does.
The outermost layer of our skin, the stratum corneum contains lipids and proteins that keep our skin cells hydrated. During stress, when the stratum corneum is not working right, your skin can become dry, dull, and itchy.
Researches show that stress can impair the barrier function of the stratum corneum and can slow down its ability to heal itself. This ultimately affects the water retention of the skin.
6. Rashes
Did you ever think about how does stress affect the body? The worst thing that comes with stress is that it weakens your immune system. And we all know how difficult it is to deal with a weak immune system. Concerning skin problems, a weakened immune system can cause a bacterial imbalance in your skin and gut called dysbiosis. This imbalance can lead to a rash or redness on the skin.
7. Drinkles
Wrinkles are yet another thing of what does stress do to your face and body. It can cause changes to your skin proteins and can reduce the elasticity of your skin. This loss of elasticity is the major cause of wrinkles formation. While you’re stressed, it can lead to repeated brow furrowing which may also contribute to wrinkle formation.
How to reduce the stress effects on your skin?
Now that you know how much does stress affect your body and skin, it’s time to take a look at some ways to reduce its effects. Although you cannot avoid stress completely, there are surely some ways to better cope with it.
- Never neglect your skin. I repeat, never! Even if you’re stressed or tired, take time to caress your skin.
- Get regular exercise. Not only for your skin but also for the rest of your body.
- Take time for yourself – for your mental peace. Do something you really enjoy doing. Even if you’ve just got 10 minutes, go for it.
- Walk around the block.
- Practice breathing exercises, meditation, visual imagery, yoga, or other stress management techniques.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep.
- Say no. It’s completely alright to set boundaries and limits to lower your stress.
- Seek support – talk to someone, be it a friend or a professional therapist.
Take home message
It’s quite difficult to deal with stress, especially when it affects our skin too. The effects of stress on mental health are well-known, however, the physical effects of stress are still not known to many people. Jillions of us suffer from various skin issues and stress out on them not knowing that stress itself is the major cause.
We have shared the 7 most common ways stress affects our skin and the possible solutions to avoid them significantly – the secret behind words. So, the next time you get any skin problems, try to watch your stress management habits and work on them. For more skin care posts, visit the skincare category of our site. Support us and follow us on Faceboook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Have a great day!
