Is stress the reason for your skin woes?

Stress is an inevitable part of life and can impact our lives in many different ways. While plenty of stressors are out of our control, there are many ways to manage stress effectively to strengthen our mind, body, and skin.

First, a bit of education. When you know the how and why of stress, and its impact on the skin, you can better incorporate mind-body practices to effectively manage stress and combat its negative effects.

Stress hormones and their impact on skin health.

Your skin is the body’s largest organ and the first line of defense. Therefore it’s also one of the most vulnerable organs to stress. 

Introducing, the Mind and Skin Connection.

The brain and skin are intimately connected, and they’re constantly communicating with each other.

When the mind or body experiences stress, our brain signals the release of stress hormones - the primary one being cortisol.

Our skin experiences a variety of changes in response to the release of cortisol:

• Increased inflammation

• Immune dysfunction

• Impaired wound healing

• More oil and sebum production

• Impaired resistance to infection. 

• Breakdown in collagen and elastin.

• Disruption of the skin barrier

• High transepidermal water loss

How does stress show up in your skin?

• Dehydration, dryness, and flakiness.

• Increase in occurrence and severity of acne.

• Flare-ups of skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, atopic dermatitis and rosacea

• Fine lines and wrinkles

• Increased pigmentation

• Loss of elasticity

• Dull skin and poor texture.

• Hair loss and thinning

If you are experiencing ongoing skin problems, it is worth considering whether stress is a driving factor.

How to identify if stress is driving your skin issues.

While everyone will experience stress, each person’s experience will be different. Our bodies are equipped to handle short-term stress, however long-term or chronic stress can cause more serious health problems.

The first step to managing stress is to know the symptoms.

Recognising stress symptoms can be harder than you think, as many of us are so used to feeling stressed that we may not know it until we get sick.

The Plume Skin Guide to Nurturing Your Nervous System and Managing Your Stress

Learning how to manage your stress response is one of the most powerful additions to your skincare regime.

There is a wide range of mind-body practices that can help to regulate your stress levels. When it comes to regulating your nervous system there is no one-size-fits-all approach — it’s important to find the techniques that work best for you.

Some of our top tried-and-tested suggestions include:

• Meditation or breathwork - we love guided meditations and breathing exercises, and there is a large selection available on Spotify or YouTube.

• Facial massage - Our Neolifting treatment is the perfect treatment for relaxation and stress reduction. The massage techniques used in NeoLifting promote relaxation and relieve facial tension, leading to a sense of deep calm and peace. Get in touch to experience this treatment for yourself.

• Take a magnesium supplement - My Pure Magnesium from Therapure is our go-to for mind and body support. Low levels of magnesium in the body can increase stress, and high levels of stress can lower magnesium.

• Shakti Mat - Janet uses her Shakti Mat almost daily to support deep sleep, healthy circulation, relaxation of tense muscles, relief from stress, relaxation, and general vitality. Learn more here!

• Time in nature - Research has shown that spending just 20 minutes connecting with nature can help lower stress hormone levels. This could be a short walk at your local park, getting some sunshine and watching the clouds on your lunch break, or eating dinner outside rather than in the dining room.

• Yin yoga - The restorative practice of yin yoga is a gentle yoga designed to help you relieve tension, focus on breathing, and increase mindfulness. Learn more about yin yoga here.

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, however chronic and uncontrolled stress can wreak havoc on our health. To find out if stress is contributing to your skin concerns book an appointment with our expert skin therapist here.