Skinspiration...Stress
Although stress can sometimes be out of your control, reducing stress as much as possible and having de-stressing rituals is important for your overall health.
Stress effects our bodies, including the skin, in a multitude of ways.
*Disclaimer; All work produced in this skinspiration blog is owned by Nicole Webb, with copyrights to La Beauté Ltd.
When stress occurs in the body it sends a signal to the brain which in-turn sets off a chain of events in the body that eventually leads to a change in your skins appearance, triggering or intensifying skin conditions.
It has recently been discovered that the skin has it's own stress response system which is continually trying to maintain a balance between the stress going on inside the body, and what is going on outside of the body from the likes of the environment.
Some of the most common effects on the skin from stress include:
- Inflammation; chronic stress leads to chronic inflammation, this triggers a release of the inflammatory substance, histamine, leading to the skin becoming itchy, reddened, dry and flakey.
- Spots; stress leads to a change in the sebum (oil) production in the skin and the hormone levels in the body. Due to this you have an increased chance of getting spots and breakouts, particularly the hard, sore, inflamed ‘hormonal spots’ on the lower half of the face. This explains why brides normally have a spot or two on their wedding day!
- Impacted barrier; when we are stressed it changes our natural barrier found on the skin, this leads to an increase in dehydration as our barrier is essential for locking water in on the skin.
- Immunity; stress reduces our skin’s antimicrobial protection, this means that your skin's ability to protect you from foreign matter invading the body is compromised, this can lead to infection and inflammation on the skin.
Often knowing what stress is doing to your skin is one thing, finding a way to manage and reduce the stress is another! Everyone is different when it comes to finding ways to calm themselves, but deep breathing (we mean deeeep diaphragm breathing) for 2 minutes three times a day is a great and quick way to reduce stress hormones in the body. Having a cup of herbal tea is also a great relaxation ritual, giving you time to just sit, breath, gather thoughts and relax.
Another great option is taking time out for you with a relaxing treat such as a relaxation facial or massage. Both of these have the ‘power of touch’ that lowers the stress hormone, cortisol, stimulates the immune system, helps with anxiety, relieves pain and increases melatonin – the body’s relaxation hormone.