Have you ever noticed that you break out more when you’re stressed? We all know that stress can do a lot of damage to our health, and it definitely shows on our skin. Eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, hives are very common stress related skin conditions. But how does it affect our skin and why does our skin flare up when we are stressed?
Your skin is freaking out!
When we are under stress, our immune system will get in its battle mode. Our body will release hormones to ‘act’ and ‘protect’, to do whatever it takes to get us through this challenge. Besides giving us the ability of ‘flight or fight’, some of these stress hormones also have effects on our skin. Such as cortisol, one of the stress hormones, that affects our metabolism, immunity, bones and collagens, our moods and so on. It is also a potent anti-inflammatory hormone, however prolonged stress can cause dysfunctions in cortisol, thereby, it can no longer regulate our immune response. As a result, a widespread inflammation on our skin causes our skin to flare up, hence, acne and eczema etc… Another side effect of that is cortisol signals glands in your skin to make more oil, causing our skin to look greasy and congested.
You Are What You Eat
Besides the additional coffee that you’ve been drinking, the cravings for greasy and salty food, and the big appetite for sweets, stress can make us misbehave. Keep in mind our dietary choices we make affect more than just our weight. The effects of poor digestion and dehydration—uneven texture and skin tone, dark circles and eye bags under our eyes—are the direct results from poor diet and lack of antioxidants that cause premature aging…yikes! Keep our comfort (junk) foods to a minimum, and stay on track with our water intake (and meditation/yoga time).
We can’t eliminate stress from our lives but we can learn to manage it. Self-care is the first step to Self-love. Spend more time with ourselves and do things that we are passionate about. When all else fails, book a facial and give ME a Time Out.
Self-care checklist:
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Take breaks
- Relaxation/ meditation
- Say no and draw boundary
- Eat well
- Breathe
- Find a hobby
Written by Susan Lee
Go to Gem SERVICES
