Stress and the Skin

Everyone is under stress, there's no doubt about that. But undue or extreme stress can reflect in the condition of the skin. How so?

The body responds to stress typically with the "fight or flight" response, meaning that it readies itself to either run away or to stay and confront the source of the stress. Either way, this means that blood and oxygen is diverted from secondary systems of the body and head toward the muscles of the legs so that the body is ready to run or fight.

Very often when people are under extreme stress or are feeling anxious they report numbness or tingling in the fingertips, feelings of nausea, or being lightheaded and dizzy. This is because the fingers, the head, and the stomach are getting less oxygen and blood as it's being sent to the leg muscles.

This also means that the necessary blood and oxygen in the body is also being diverted from the skin. A few minutes of this is not anything that will affect the skin's appearance and feeling but when a person is under extreme stress for prolonged periods of time this can cause long-term damage to the skin.

On the other hand, when the body feels threatened in any way it responds with protective action as well. Part of this is to send the skin's oil glands into overdrive to protect it. The skin's own natural moisture is good but can also be damaging when it's out of balance. Too much oil means it may get into pores and also traps dirt and bacteria so that they too get trapped in pores and lines of the face.

When a person is under constant stress they also have a tendency to frown, grimace, or otherwise make facial expressions that can lead to lines and wrinkles.

Easing stress.

Since we're all under some degree of stress and since probably very few of us can move to some tropical resort and live out the rest of our days without a care in the world, what to do?

The first thing we might do is think about what things in our life give us stress that we can eliminate or downplay. Sometimes taking charge of certain situations can also help; when we feel powerless or helpless against our problems or situations then stress is typically increased. Even if we can't make a problem go away completely, sometimes just working toward a solution can help ease the stress it causes.

As an example, if your financial situation is causing you stress you may not be able to get a better job or magically make all your bills go away but if you really take the time to sit down with your bills and your income and see how to get yourself organized, and then work to stay on track, you might feel less stress. Keeping track of how you spend your money can also help.

When you realize that you're spending hundreds of dollars every month on meals out, you can start packing your lunch and cooking at home more often and you save yourself some money that can be applied to your bills. You might still be in debt for some time while you work on this, but your stress is reduced as you feel a sense of accomplishment in at least working toward a solution.

Sometimes stress elimination or reduction is just a matter of attitude. Very often it's our own worries that are causing stress when often those worries don't even materialize. Think back over the past few years and the things that you always worried about - how many of those things actually happened? Probably very few. So sometimes just adjusting the way we perceive things or think about them is going to greatly reduce the stress we have.

Of course, eating properly, exercising and getting plenty of rest will also help the body to cope with stress. Very often the body is under attack during stressful situations and denying it adequate rest and nutrition is only going to make the situation worse.