5 Ways Stress Affects Your Skin

Your mind and skin are connected more than you think

Stress is normal! You feel it when you have a lot going on, haven’t slept very well, are on emotional overload and perhaps concerned about things like your job, money or your relationships. 

Everyone experiences stress in some shape or form every once in a while. In fact, it helps us perform better in many situations. However, constantly reacting to these stressful circumstances can have harmful effects on your well-being and ultimately, on your skin. Stress can show through in acne flare-ups, hives and other nasty skin problems materializing overnight.

In this article, let’s discuss the mind-skin connection of how stress can affect your skin.

1. Stress can make your skin oily and more prone to acne

You are not imagining it. You really do get those pimples overnight because of stress! The culprit behind it is a hormone called cortisol. 

Cortisol is a natural hormone that your body produces in response to stress. Cortisol causes your skin’s sebaceous glands to produce more sebum or oil. 

Oil production is a natural process that keeps the skin from drying out. However, when there is too much sebum on your skin, dead skin cells, bacteria and dirt can become trapped in your pores, causing a dreaded breakout. This triggers inflammatory acne, deep tender bumps along the lower parts of your face or it can make existing acne even worse.

Using an exfoliating peel like YEOUTH Salicylic Acid 20% Gel Peel can help fight excessive sebum production. This at-home chemical peel gets down to the root of the problem by dissolving excess oil, dirt and dead skin that are clogging up your pores and causing acne.

2. Stress can worsen your present skin issues

Just as how cortisol can make acne worse, it can also aggravate a whole lot of other skin issues. 

The burst of the cortisol hormone can take its toll on your immune system and make your skin inflamed, more sensitive and reactive. This initial response by the body can exacerbate or unmask a history of skin problems for some people such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. It can even trigger hives and other types of skin rashes.

3. Stress can dry out your skin

When we’re under constant stress, the body’s fight-or-fly response is constantly on and is producing a large amount of adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones make our sweat glands more active, causing us to sweat more and lose more moisture than normal.

We also tend to drink less water when we’re stressed out. Most people opt for other drinks like soda, coffee or alcohol which dehydrate the body even more.

A 2015 research study also proved the amazing link between the mind and the skin by showing that high levels of anxiety can lead to dry skin.

The study reported that the skin produced less hyaluronic acid — a natural compound that helps the skin retain moisture — when we’re under extreme psychological stress.

This results in dry, flaky, dull skin. People with sensitive skin are also prone to redness and chapping.

Replenish your skin’s moisture levels with YEOUTH Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum. This high potency serum is loaded with hyaluronic acid to help maintain moisture in the skin for long-lasting hydration. It helps smooth the appearance of fine lines and rough texture while replenishing dry skin to a healthy state!

4. Stress can make you care less about your appearance

When you’re too busy worrying, you may have less time for self-care. You will be surprised by the number of people who do not wash off the oil and grime on their faces before bed just because they do not have the energy.

Skipping a solid skincare routine aggravates the state of skin. This actually leads to more stress from all the skin problems this causes. 

Some people feel so self-conscious about how they look that they keep to themselves, spiraling down a dark path of anxiety and depression.

If you’re one of those people that just do not know where to start when it comes to skincare, a quick-and-easy routine that you can do consistently in the morning and before bedtime can make all the difference. 

Step 1. Wash your face

Remove the makeup, dirt and excess oil from your face. Squeeze a dime-sized amount of a gentle cleanser like YEOUTH Vitamin C Facial Cleanser onto moistened fingertips and lather with water. Massage onto skin in circular motions and then thoroughly rinse off.

Step 2. Balance your complexion

Revitalize your skin after cleansing by using a toner. This will help balance your skin’s pH and boost the skin barrier to help prevent skin irritation and dehydration. Keeping eyes closed, spray a fine mist of YEOUTH Balancing Facial Toner over face and neck.

Step 3. Treat your skin

Use a serum to treat your skin issues. They have smaller molecules compared to other skincare products which allows the skin to absorb them much faster and at a deeper level. While your skin is still damp, apply a pea-sized amount of YEOUTH Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum to the entire face and neck area. Allow skin to absorb.

Step 4. Seal in hydration

Last but not least is to seal everything in with a moisturizer. It works by boosting the skin’s barrier to keep it feeling soft and smooth and to figh dry skin build-up. Apply a dime-sized amount of YEOUTH Day/Night Cream onto skin. Massage thoroughly and allow to absorb.

Do this twice daily for a week and see the big difference in your appearance. You will start to see a more supple, brighter skin tone with a minimized appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

5. Stress can etch frown lines on your face

You may not notice it but you just may be scrunching up your face a little too much when you’re stressed out. Doing so leads to vertical wrinkles right between your eyebrows or horizontal fine lines running across your forehead.

Face muscles are different from other muscles in your body because they are directly attached to the skin and as they move, they develop creases in the skin that become permanently etched over time. 

If not addressed, these worry or frown lines can become permanent on your face, making you look worn down and older than you really are!

So how should you take care of your skin when you’re stressed out?

Aside from the negative effects on our skin, stress is also not good for your overall health. Although it cannot be avoided completely, you can try ways to handle it better to ease your mind and body.

Keep in mind that no matter how excellent your skincare routine is, it is not enough to keep your skin clear and healthy during stressful times. We recommend doing the following to destress daily:

• Exercise regularly. 30 mins. of jogging, cardio, yoga or whatever physical activity you like is a great start. Working out is good for both your physical and mental health.

• Get at least eight hours of sleep daily. The amount of rest you get is very important. Your body needs a full eight hours to restart and repair itself so make sleep a priority.

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Food is your fuel. You can’t expect to function at your best if you’re constantly eating junk and not getting the nutrition you need.

• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. There are tons of smartphone apps that can alert you to drink a glass of water as you go about your day. Install one on your phone and you won’t even notice that you’re downing your eighth glass of water by the end of the day. 

• Talk to someone. Talking about your feelings can help ease the stress that you’re feeling. It can even help you assess the situation better. Consider talking to a friend, a family member or a professional therapist whenever you’re stressed or overwhelmed.

• Find time to do what you love. It’s also important that you spend time on yourself. Do something you enjoy every day even just for 10 minutes. Take a relaxing bath, read a book, meditate, or watch your favorite movie.

• Take deep breaths. Feeling stressed out? Distance yourself from people, close your eyes, and take long, deep breaths. This can help increase your oxytocin hormone and lower your stress and anxiety.

• Practice mindfulness. There are a lot of things in life that we cannot control. You cannot control the weather, you cannot control what others think, you cannot control time and more. Forget all these and instead focus on the things you can control: your effort and your attitude. You will be a much more effective person and you will definitely feel less stressed out. 

Stress is a part of our lives and what really matters is how you take things into your own hands. If you always take care of both your physical and mental health, you will continue to have that glow no matter what life throws at you!

HOW DOES STRESS AFFECT YOUR SKIN? WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO DESTRESS? TALK TO US IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!

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