How stress affects the Skin?

Table of Content

• What is stress?

• How does stress affect your skin?

• Cortisol effects on skin

• How to save your skin from stress effects

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on How stress affects skin

Introduction 

Stress is a very common part of many people's daily lives, whether it's brought on by troubles at work, in relationships, or with money. Stress is a normal reaction to feeling unable to handle particular demands or circumstances. However, if a person does not take action to control it, stress can develop into a chronic condition. Stress can be brought on by anything that presents a person with a genuine or imagined challenge or threat to their wellbeing.

Stress can spur motivation and even be necessary for survival. The body’s fight-or-flight mechanism teaches a person when and how to respond to danger. However, when the body becomes triggered too easily, or there are too many stressors at one time, it can damage a person’s mental and physical health and become harmful. 

Not just your internal organs, stress has adverse effects on your skin as well. According to studies, stress—both acute and chronic—can have a bad impact on the health of your skin overall and aggravate a number of skin problems, such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, and hair loss.

However, it's not a one-way street. Additionally, studies have revealed that skin and hair follicles have sophisticated mechanisms for creating their own stress-inducing signals, which can reach the brain and keep the stress reaction going. In this article we will tell you about the various side effects of stress on your skin and you can identify them. So read ahead to know more about it!

What is stress?

The body's natural protection against danger and predators is stress. Hormones that prime the body to avoid or face danger are released in a deluge when this happens. This is sometimes referred to as the fight-or-flight response.Humans react partially physically when faced with a challenge or threat. In order to either stay and face the threat or flee as quickly as possible, the body mobilizes resources.

The levels of the hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine increase in the body. The following physical responses are brought on by them.

• increased blood pressure

• enhanced muscular responsiveness

• sweating

• alertness

The human body reacts to times of stress in a number of different ways naturally, some of which might result in some major undesirable side effects. The chemicals and adrenaline released while we are under stress have a harmful impact on our skin. Chronic stress lengthens the negative impact by causing more inflammation. 

Whenever you are under a lot of stress, you could notice that your skin is more prone to acne outbreaks, dryness, inflammation, or redness. When the body experiences stress, several chemicals are released, most notably the "stress hormone" cortisol, which causes these symptoms.

How does stress affect your skin?

The skin serves as a physical barrier to the environment in addition to being able to physically represent internal processes through outer manifestations. The skin and the Central Nervous System (CNS) work together closely to respond to both physical and emotional inputs through a network of mechanical and chemical receptors, nerves, muscle, and vasculature. Since the skin serves as both the primary sensor and the secondary receiver of the body's response to stress, it is especially vulnerable to its effects.

Adrenaline and the stress hormone -  cortisol are released when your body is under stress. This hormonal increase is transient, and it has little to no impact on your skin if you have a good stress response. However, when we are repeatedly exposed to stress or when a single stressful incident is too much for us to handle, these hormones remain active for too long and cause damage to our skin.

With increased oil production brought on by cortisol, pores might become clogged and breakouts can occur. Inflammation is another effect of persistent stress. Inflammation can cause flare-ups of skin disorders including rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis, as well as delay the healing of acne. Even hair loss due to cortisol has been demonstrated.

Aging is accelerated by stress as well. Collagen, elastin, and other skin proteins are produced less efficiently while we're under stress, which decreases the skin's suppleness and causes wrinkles to appear. Furthermore, when we are under stressful circumstances, we tend to twitch or furrow our brows far more frequently.

Cortisol effects on skin

The natural stress-relieving hormone cortisol is produced by the body. Cortisol is a typical and healthy adaptation reflex when present in tiny doses. It is an excellent short-term coping technique.

Cortisol, however, can become the skin's enemy if it is continuously overproduced for an extended length of time. People who are prone to high amounts of stress for an extended period of time will maintain high levels of cortisol, which can have a negative impact on the skin in a number of ways:

• Acne - You might observe that your acne flares up more frequently when you're under a lot of stress. Higher amounts of cortisol cause the sebaceous glands in the skin to create more sebum (oil). Acne is caused by extra oil clogging pores, which promotes the growth of bacteria and irritation

• Alopecia (hair loss) and premature graying of hair - According to conventional belief, stress can cause gray hair. Scientists have now discovered the reason, though. Your hair's color is produced by a pigment called melanin by cells called melanocytes. According to a 2020 study published in Nature, stress-induced sympathetic nerve activity can cause the stem cells that give rise to melanocytes to vanish. New cells develop after these cells have vanished and turn gray and lose their color. Telogen effluvium, a condition that can alter your hair's growth cycle, is another result of persistent stress. A greater than usual amount of hair falls out as a result of telogen effluvium.

• Rashes and Hives - Redness, rashes, or hives might result from the inflammatory reaction that stress sets off.

• Dryness - General dryness and itching may also be brought on by inflammatory immune responses because inflamed skin loses its capacity to retain water. Not just that, the outer layer of your skin, known as the stratum corneum, contains certain lipids and protein that are essential for maintaining the moisture in your skin cells. Additionally, it serves as a barrier to safeguard the skin below. Lately it has been found that stress has negative effects on this layer thus affecting its function and making your skin dry and flaky.

• Wrinkles - Collagen is destroyed by the cortisol hormone that stress causes. Stress lowers the elasticity-enhancing natural proteins in the skin, accelerating wrinkles and other aging symptoms. Consistent stress can accelerate the natural decline in collagen formation that occurs with age, which can lead to the onset of aging prematurely.

• Aging - Additionally, cortisol has the ability to hasten the aging process of the skin, dramatically boosting common undesirable aging symptoms like lines and wrinkles, age spots, and dullness of the skin.

How to save your skin from stress effects

• Food for your skin - Eat foods rich in Vitamin A, E and D. These are foods like carrots, spinach, avocados, almonds, eggs and salmon. These nutrients are good for your body and help nourish your skin and hair.

• Medicate your way out of stress - Meditation is a good way to fight stress. If you find yourself fighting any kind of stress, you should try meditation for at least a few minutes daily. This will not only help you get rid of stress but also give you glowing healthy skin. 

• Abstain from alcohol and drugs - Drug and alcohol abuse that is continued can make your tension worse.

• Make time for leisurely pursuits - If you feel stressed out by your hectic schedule, scheduling time for relaxing activities may be able to assist.

• Interact with others - Many people find that talking to a friend, member of their family, or a mental health expert helps them cope with stress.

• Consult a physician or dermatologist - The best person who can help with your skin conditions is a doctor. If you are facing problems that are worsening day by day, you should immediately consult a physician or a dermatologist.

Take-Home Points

Life will always involve some level of stress. On the other hand, persistent stress can leave a visible mark on your face. Stress can manifest itself in a number of different ways, including acne, gray hair, and dry skin.

You can fend off these early aging symptoms by reducing unnecessary sources of stress in your life and developing stress management skills.