As said before, there are many internal and external factors that can affect your skin, and stress is one of the most common internal factors that have strong effects on the skin. Undoubtedly, stress can affect your entire body, including your hair and skin health. Keep in mind that your emotions have powerful effects on your skin, so it is crucial to manage your emotions for an overall great health.
How you feel on the inside could affect how you look on the outside. As a matter of fact, various studies have linked different factors that affect one’s emotional well-being, including anxiety, depression and stress to an increase in problems with nails, hair and skin.
If you are wondering how stress can manifest itself on your appearance, then it pays to understand how stress affects your skin.
Link Between Stress and your Skin
Stress causes a chemical response within your body, which makes your skin more reactive and sensitive. It can also make it more difficult for skin issues to heal. If you notice, you break out more if you’re stressed. This is actually due to the fact that stress can cause your body to generate cortisol and some other hormones that tell your sebaceous glands to generate more oil. Having oily skin can make you more at risk to acne and some other skin issues.
Moreover, stress can worsen skin issues. It can also interfere with your daily skin care. It is also a known trigger for seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, fever blisters and has been known to impair the barrier function of the skin, allowing more infectious agents, allergens and irritants to penetrate the skin and cause issues.
Besides the direct physical effects of stress, many patients who are under stress also have the tendency to abuse or neglect their skin. For instance, they lack the motivation and energy to stick to their skin care regimens. There might also be some signs of stress-related behaviors, including rubbing, pulling or scratching that can aggravate the problems.
With proper diagnosis by a professional dermatologist, efficient treatments enhance the function and the appearance of the skin. This can substantially lessen patients’ stress as well as improve their skin condition.
When an expert dermatologist treats both the stress and the skin, the skin health improves and it commonly clears more rapidly and completely, as those influences of stress are also diminished. This will in turn help decrease the overall level of anxiety of the patient. The patient may also start to feel even better about the way they look and feel about themselves.
To manage stress and reduce its effects on the skin, proper hygiene and a balanced diet is necessary. You should also never neglect the important skincare routine that you need to perform for healthier glowing skin.
