No one is immune to stress. We all experience it, but how we respond to it determines how it affects our body, including how it affects our skin. As I see with myself and with my patients: when you find ways to reduce stress, the result is more radiant skin.
How Stress Affects the Skin
The skin is the largest organ in the body, so it makes sense that stress can affect the health and appearance of the skin.
When the body is under chronic, prolonged stress, such as what we’ve been experiencing in one form or another with the current pandemic, brain chemicals are released. These chemicals trigger inflammation in the skin that makes your skin more sensitive, reactive, and prone to problems like eczema and skin rashes.
Skin problems like acne can also get exacerbated when you’re anxious and worried. In people who are susceptible, problems like psoriasis can be triggered during times of prolonged stress.
Inflammation can also compromise the skin’s barrier function. This is the part of the skin that keeps out potential irritants and holds moisture in, keeping the skin hydrated. If compromised, the skin’s defective barrier function can allow moisture to escape triggering dry, dull, and rough skin. What’s more, a compromised barrier function has been linked to slower wound healing overall and an increased susceptibility to infections.
Reduce the Effect of Stress on Your Skin
There are many ways to mitigate the effects of stress on your skin. What’s important is to find ones that work for you and your lifestyle. Here are a few that I’ve found work for me:
- Set a news limit. Too much news watching, with so many of its negative news stories, can contribute to prolonged stress. While it’s important to know what’s going on, it’s also important to be able to set a limit. For example, shutting off the news at least two hours before going to bed will help you sleep. (Chronic sleeplessness contributes to stress.)
- Get outdoors in nature. Being cooped up indoors can contribute to anxiety. Just getting outside in nature, with its sunlight and fresh air, has been shown to reduce anxiety and boost happiness.
- Stay active. During exercise, the body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins. These chemicals can boost mood and reduce stress. Regular exercise, particularly when done earlier in the day (i.e., not before bedtime), can also help you sleep better. Make a plan to do exercise regularly.
- Find ways to calm your mind. Meditation, even just five or ten minutes a day, can help quiet the worries in your head and make you more relaxed. (A few apps that are good include Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer.) Yoga, walking, even just reading a book can all also help you reduce stress.
- Stay connected. Even if you can’t connect with friends in person, stay connected with them via social media, Zoom calls, or the phone. Strong social ties have been linked to improved resilience to stress and better coping strategies.
Skincare Habits for More Beautiful Skin
When under stress, it’s important to stick to a regular skincare routine that includes:
- Wash face twice daily. Removing daily makeup and grime and keeping face clean with a soothing cleanser, like CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, will help reduce the potential for skin irritation. It will also prevent skin problems like acne from starting.
- Keep skin hydrated. A compromised skin barrier function can trigger rough, dry skin. Dry skin is more prone to fine lines and wrinkles. Keeping skin hydrated with a gentle moisturizer, like CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture for Face, Neck, and Scalp, can result in soft, smooth, and more radiant skin.
- Drink plenty of water. It’s easy to skimp on self care when under stress, but it’s important to stay hydrated to keep skin plump and radiant.
- Skip the junk food. You are what you eat—and that’s even more true when it comes to the skin. Eating processed junk food and sugary snacks, which we’re all prone to doing when under stress, can contribute to lackluster skin over time. Reach instead for fresh fruit and veggies and healthier snacks when under stress and you’ll be rewarded with more radiant, beautiful skin.
Making self-care a priority during times of stress will go a long way towards reducing anxiety. It also results in skin that’s healthy, radiant, and beautiful.