Have you ever noticed your skin suddenly starts acting up when you're stressed? YES! Stress can affect your whole body, including your hair, nails, and skin. The mind and skin are connected through nerve endings, so as emotions are played out neurologically, stress, tension, and anxiety are widespread to be expressed through the skin. Acne breakouts, flare-ups, and rashes tend to worsen during a stressful period, which is quite a common occurrence.
Stress is a part of life, and it happens to all of us. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid our jobs, bills, or even the annoying people we have to face daily. Instead, we must find a way to handle it. Besides being one of the main factors that can contribute to high blood pressure, heart diseases, and even chronic sadness and depression, here are:
5 Negative Effects of Stress on The Skin
Premature Skin Aging
As the body's biggest organ, the skin acts as a barrier between environmental and interior tissues. Hypothalamus neurons produce hormones to the pituitary gland when stressed.
The pituitary gland utilizes these instructions to make hormones that impact various body areas and stimulate other hormone-producing tissues. This mechanism stimulates the adrenal gland. This produces the stress hormone cortisol.
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Cortisol accelerates aging. It targets and tears down elastin and collagen, which controls the elasticity of our skin. Frowning causes fine creases and wrinkles between the eyebrows and horizontal lines on the forehead. If this is performed often, the skin will lose elasticity and become permanently wrinkled.
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Acne Breakouts
Stress has long been suspected of causing acne flare-ups, and recent research verified it. Cortisol increases acne severity. This encourages sebaceous glands to generate extra sebum, blocking pores and causing inflammatory acne.
Stress increases skin colonization. After a long, grueling, and stressful day, we all ignore our skincare routines.
Dehydration
The epidermis, the skin's outermost layer, acts as a barrier that controls how much moisture and other substances may get through.
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Because of this, a "seal" is created, which helps keep water in and germs out. Too much cortisol causes dehydration. Flaky, dry skin is a
sign of dehydrated skin. If you don't take care of it, you'll end up with wrinkles, redness, irritation, and a rough texture.
Aggravates Already Existing Skin Problems
Atopic dermatitis is sometimes called eczema. This condition's stage may be caused by genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Excess cortisol may induce a deficiency in the skin's barrier function that leads to this disorder in old age.
Stress hormones may decrease the skin's barrier function, increasing vulnerability to allergens and microbes. Inflammation and flare-ups will worsen itching and pain. Stress weakens the immune system and causes a comparable autoimmune condition.
Psoriasis is usually a hereditary disorder with eczema-like symptoms, however, it may be induced by stress. It affects three percent of the population.
Rapid and aberrant cell proliferation leads to silvery scales on the skin's surface. Having psoriasis is unpleasant, but emotional stress may trigger flare-ups.
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Rashes
Hives, which are elevated, red patches or welts, are increasingly linked to stress. A stress rash may consist of these symptoms. When you touch an area of your body that has stress rash, you may experience a moderate tingling or, in more severe situations, a burning sensation.
These red, itchy, and flaky spots may appear anywhere on the skin, but they often "link" to create bigger welts of varying sizes.
Hives may be quite unpleasant and even painful, but they are often just an acute ailment that lasts for a few weeks at the most (depending on how severe it is and how large the afflicted region is).
