Stress Symptoms and Your Skin

 

Between morning commutes, post-work traffic and all the stuff that happens in between, keeping up with life is stressful. And that stress can affect your skin. Stress symptoms and skin can become a devilish duo when not actively managed. Here’s how.

Hormones Produce Stress Symptoms and Skin Problems

Maybe you’re under a deadline. Perhaps one of your loved ones has been ill. Or, you could just be Chelsea Handler (I love her). The point is that when we’re stressed out (for whatever reason), we naturally release hormones, the most prominent of which is called cortisol. Cortisol weakens your immune system, making you more vulnerable to infection and allergens. By extension, your skin becomes much more susceptible to developing both acute and chronic conditions. Stress ends up being incredibly destructive for your natural protective skin barrier, stripping away lipids in the acid mantle.

Fun stuff, huh?

Your Skin Gets Oily and/or Develops Other Problems

Cortisol tells your sebaceous glands to produce more oil and this can trigger breakouts. Even if acne isn’t a problem, overproduction of hormones because of stress can contribute to other issues. Skin disorders like psoriasis, eczema and rosacea, and even allergic skin conditions such as hives can suddenly become stubborn problems.

You Get Into the ‘Stressed Skin Cycle’

Skin that’s stressed out all the time isn’t healthy for the aforementioned reasons. You may become embarrassed of resultant acne, psoriasis and the like. Everyone handles this differently. Some people avoid social interactions because of how their skin looks. Others just block out the problem altogether and fail to care for their skin at all. These kinds of responses actually lead to more stress, creating a cycle of ‘stress, skin problem, repeat’.

Taking Action to Combat Stress Symptoms and Skin Issues

To end the ‘stressed skin cycle’, it’s important to change how you manage stress. If you live a busy lifestyle, then starting small is a great idea. Try taking a walk after dinner to introduce additional stress-relieving exercise into your routine. Meditation is also effective for clearing your mind and relaxing your body – even for 5 minutes during a crazy day. Lastly, caring for your skin externally with solutions like the Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash and Moisturizing Body Lotion gives your skin barrier support when stress is, well, doing the opposite.

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