Stress can cause many serious problems including physical, mental and psychological issues. But did you know that apart from being a peace destroyer, stress can also have adverse effects on your pre-existing skin conditions?
Stress And The Body
Let’s first understand how stress works. Stress, whether it’s acute (the temporary stress or situational stress) or chronic (the stress that’s consistent, either because of job, relationships or family issues) causes a release of different hormones.
Hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, or norepinephrine stimulate a fight, flight or freeze response. In such an instance, the central nervous system stops working and with chronic stress, the brain stays in that state for a longer time, thus, resulting in long-term health issues including worsening existing skin issues.
Acne And Eczema
Acne is on top of the list of the issues that get worse with acne. When cortisol is released, it causes pores to produce more sebum. This sebum then mixes with bacteria, dirt and sweat and clog the pores. Clogged pores can result in breakouts, blackheads and whiteheads.
Stress can also be a cause of eczema. Eczema is a skin issue related to the immune system and when stress hormones are released, they intervene to the immune response, thereby forming red itchy patches on the skin.
Here, it is important to keep in mind that stress alone may not aggravate skin issues in many cases but when people are stressed out, they also tend to fall for behaviors that are unhealthy. Lack of sleep, overworking, dehydration, skipping exercise, increasing alcohol consumption, are all factors that contribute to worsening skin issues.
How To Treat
Stress is not going to go away but we must find ways to manage our stress levels. Apart from finding the root cause of the stress and doing something about it, you can do the following to keep the stress from interfering with your life:
- Get quality sleep
- Drink water regularly
- Engage in physical activities
- Talk to someone about the issues that are causing stress
- Get help from a therapist if needed
- Eat a healthy nutritious diet
- Follow a suitable skincare routine and use products that are recommended for your skin type
- Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake
- Find a facial treatment for your stressed-out skin
If you are having trouble figuring out the perfect treatment for your stressed skin, you can check out our special offers and get amazing discounts on our most popular treatments. You can also make an appointment with our aestheticians to discuss your skin concerns and find an appropriate treatment for your particular problem.
