How Can Stress Wreak Havoc on Your Skin?

Stress is a complicated issue. It can come from anywhere, disturb your sleeping patterns, cause you to lose weight or gain weight, cause your hair to fall out, –and yes, mess with your skin.

There are some who say that those years of awkward teenage acne are actually a result of increased stress soaring through the blood as your hormones level spike and plummet in turn. It is most certainly true that acne is not something limited to teenage years. Stress can have a negative impact on your skin at any point in life. For some, the way that stress takes its toll may change over time, but there is little question as to whether or not stress will show up on your skin.

When Stress Shows Up

Stress happens to everyone, but that doesn’t mean that you need to walk around wearing your stress on your sleeve—or your face. You can’t avoid your job, your bills, your family, or your friends—unfortunately, you can’t even avoid traffic.

The more stress you have in your life, the more likely it is to start showing up where you don’t want to see it. It is not uncommon for stress to take a variety of forms on your face, some of the most common include:

• Stress acne, especially on the chin and forehead
• Under eye-bags from fatigue or restless sleep
• Puffiness in the cheeks and around the eyes
• Dry and flaky skin, often as a result of dehydration
• Rashes and hives as a result of severe stress

Of course, these are just a few of the short-term ways that stress can show up on your skin. If you aren’t mindful to manage your stress, then you can start to see long-term skin damage in the form of brown spots and even wrinkles.

Managing Stress for Healthy Skin

The trick to keeping your skin healthy from stress damage is to take a two-fold approach. Step one is to take care of your skin by drinking plenty of water, using a moisturizer, and washing your face thoroughly to ensure that you remove all makeup before going to bed. The second step is to actually manage that stress. Deep breathing exercises, journaling, talking with friends, family members or even mental health counselors, and utilizing healthy techniques like exercise are all helpful in managing stress levels.

If stress is taking a toll on your skin, talk with your dermatologist about ways that you can prevent blemishes and other issues from wreaking havoc on your appearance. To schedule a consultation, contact us at 770-251-5111.