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The skin has its own way of showing off if you’re being naughty or nice in line with taking care of it.  Stress, staying all night, not taking much water? Your skin has its way of showing it. Experts believed that chemicals our body releases during stress can cause inflammation or even make skin conditions worse and even more sensitive.

When you are experiencing stress, the brain secretes hormones that induce the release of cortisol – a stress hormone from our adrenal glands. Human skin has receptors for this stress hormone, the activation then may result in varieties of changes in our skin such as increased inflammation, more oil, sebum production, and impaired resistance to infection. If you have acne-prone skin, chances are, your skin is most likely to show visible signs of stress.

What are the visible signs of stress on your skin?

Acne

It is widely believed that stress causes acne, there are several studies that proved this claim such as:

This study dated 2017 as subjected to medical students, whereas, and it was then found that higher levels of stress positively correlated with acne severity.

This study also proves that stress, lack of sleep, and unhealthy habits can potentially make acne worse.

When you are stressed, you may experience some dryness

Stress may weaken the skin’s barrier, which hinders your skin’s ability to retain water. An increase in perspiration may also lead to dry and dehydrated skin. When you are stressed people would say. “You looked stressed”. It’s as if stress wants to be utterly noticeable.

This study as subject to an animal sample found that stress impairs the barrier function of your stratum corneum and may negatively affect skin water retention.

Rashes / Inflamed skin

Stress can trigger several conditions such as rashes, and inflamed skin such as eczema or psoriasis.

Eczema has the tendency to weaken the skin barrier making it open for irritation and skin dryness. The first thing you need to do when a skin condition such as this shows up is to have that moisturizing routine prioritized. Your skin, during these times, may need a lot of moisture in order to protect your skin barrier.

On the other note, psoriasis is a  skin disease that causes red, itchy scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk, and scalp.

This study found that those who had more daily stress experienced significantly worse psoriasis outbreaks.

Wrinkles

Stress leads to changes in the proteins in your skin and reduces its elasticity. This loss of elasticity can contribute to the formation of wrinkles. Unwanted lines.

Hair Loss / Graying of Hair Color

Have you by any chance noticed and experienced this? Cells called melanocytes produce a pigment called melanin that gives your hair its color. This study concluded that sympathetic nervous activity from stress can cause the stem cells that create melanocytes to disappear. Once these cells disappear, new cells lose their color and turn gray. Telogen effluvium is a condition that disrupts one’s hair-growing cycle.

Destress your skin

Take a break from what is stressing you out 

Treat yourself to an all-out pampering. File that vacation leave. Do not feel guilty for taking a break from what is stressing you out, may it be a job or stuff at your home. Allow yourself to breathe. This will not only benefit your health and skin it is also beneficial to your mental health as well.

Exfoliate the dead skin cells away 

Exfoliation plays an integral part in taking care of your skin. Stress may somehow contribute to a build-up of dead skin cells. Thus, highly suggesting to exfoliate your skin twice a week as it helps slough off those dead skin cells. Giving you a fresh new vibe.

Read: TO USE FACE SCRUB OR NOT? WHAT BETTER WAY TO EXFOLIATE MY SKIN?

Get enough rest 

Quality sleep is indeed important.  7-8 hours of sleep per experts’ advice should be followed. Your body benefits a lot when you are getting just the right amount of sleep. Nothing wrong with investing in your bedroom needs such as a comfortable mattress and pillows plus setting your bedroom up to be the perfect temperature is also of big help. Reduce your caffeine intake in the evenings and see to it as well that you have some time away from that most loved device of yours before going to bed.

Eat well, Live well

Eating well means eating a healthy and balanced diet. Caring for your well-being is a long-term commitment – you yourself will solely benefit from it. Your brain, being one of the busiest organs in your body needs the right kind of fuel in order to keep it functioning properly. Make it a habit to food rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as it helps improve your mood and promotes cognitive function.

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