Stress and Your Skin: The Harmful Effects
Stress has a huge impact on our complexions. Whether you are experiencing stress induced dryness, dullness, or acne breakouts, these skin issues only add to the stress we are already experiencing. It’s a vicious cycle…we stress out, break out, and then stress out some more because of our break outs.
There are different types of stress we go through and they each make our skin respond differently. We have short term stress, such as prepping for a huge meeting that is fast approaching. And, at times we have long term stress, like tension with a spouse or financial strain. Read on to see how both impact your skin and what you can try to do about it.
Short Term Stress
Whether you broke your phone and have to get a new one or preparing to ask your boss for a raise at work, short term stress can cause huge anxiety. This anxiety tends to show up on our faces in the worst possible ways. Your skin could start to look dull and tired, break out in pimples, or you could have a flare-up of an otherwise controlled skin condition. Try hard to ease the tension, first and foremost. Exercise does a lot to reduce stress and may help you greatly. Then, after you feel your stress decrease, try to clear up any breakouts on your skin. This may involve using a cleanser containing salicylic acid and tea tree oil, like Authentically Branded’s Clean and Clear Purifying Cleanser. If you are experiencing dry skin or dullness, add some moisture. Authentically Branded’s Skin-Perfecting Daily Moisturizer is just the product you need to get your skin glowing and healthy again!
Long Term Stress
Stress in your relationship, job insecurity, an ailing parent, the list goes on and on. These are all examples of long term stress and they can really have a negative impact on your skin. Long term stress can cause a slowdown of your skin’s natural functions. This includes collagen production. Collagen is what keeps skin looking plump and youthful. When you go through long term stress, you will have many of the same symptoms as short term stress, but they will be exacerbated and potentially longer-lasting. It is very hard during these stressful times to find a way to ease the tension and reduce your stress, but you should at least try to do so. Don’t let your skincare routine fall to the wayside, because now is when you skin needs this routine the most! Also, set aside an hour and make an appointment with a dermatologist. They will be able to assess your skin, understand what stress you are going through, and provide a treatment plan accordingly.
What ways have you found to combat stress induced skin issues? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know! We look forward to hearing from you!
