Have you ever noticed that your skin suddenly starts acting up when you’re stressed? 

Stress can affect your whole body, including your hair, nails, and skin.

The mind and skin are connected by means of nerve endings so as emotions are played out neurologically, stress, tension, and anxiety are very common to be expressed through the skin.

Since stress is a part of life and it happens to all of us because unfortunately, we cannot avoid our jobs, bills or even the annoying people we have to face on a daily basis, we have to find a way to handle it.

Besides being one of the main factors that can contribute to high blood pressure, heart diseases, and even chronic sadness and depression, here are 5 effects of stress on the skin and how to deal with it.

1. Skin Aging

As the skin is the largest organ of our bodies, it plays an important role as a barrier to maintain homeostasis between environmental and internal tissues.

Upon sensing stress, neurons in the hypothalamus which is a small region of the brain located at the base secrete hormones which are transported to the pituitary gland.

The pituitary gland uses these messages to produce hormones that affect many parts of the body including stimulating all the other hormone-producing glands to produce their own hormones.

As a reaction to this complex process, the adrenal gland is being stimulated and this allows the production of the hormone cortisol which is commonly known as the primary stress hormone.

Cortisol can accelerate the aging process as it aggressively attacks and breaks down elastin and collagen which are the main proteins that keep our skin toned and provide it with elasticity.

Furthermore, we all tend to make certain facial expressions such as frowning that can cause fine lines and wrinkles between the eyebrows as well as horizontal lines on the forehead.

If this is constantly being repeated, the skin will eventually lose elasticity in the area and it will not be able to bounce back leading to permanent wrinkles.

2. Acne Breakouts

Stress has long been suspected to induce acne flare-ups and it has been closely studied only to be confirmed by a well-controlled and extensive study some years ago.

Increased acne severity is significantly associated with the spike of the cortisol hormone as this directly stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce excess sebum that can lead to clogging of the pores and further inflammatory acne breakouts.

Stress is closely associated with increased colonization of P. acnes bacteria which is the main acne-producing bacteria that lies on the skin.

It can actively interfere with your daily skincare routine as we all tend to skip on our skincare regimens from time to time after a long, exhausting and stressful day.

3. Dehydration

The outermost layer of our skin serves as a barrier function by regulating our epidermal permeability. This barrier creates a “seal” which is essential for retaining hydration and protection against infections.

When your body is constantly exposed to producing excessive amounts of cortisol, this leads to its reduced ability to retain water.

The absence of moisture leads to dehydrated skin and the formation of dry patches and flakes.

If this condition persists for a prolonged time period if will inevitably lead to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles as well as redness, irritation and rough texture.

4. Aggravates Skin Conditions

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that is commonly known as eczema. A complex mixture of genetic, environmental and immune factors may lead to this condition and its stage.

A defect in the skin’s barrier function caused by excessive amounts of cortisol may be the main factor contributing to acquiring this condition in the later stages of life.

The reason for this is that the stress hormone can weaken the skin’s barrier function and lead to increased sensitivity to environmental allergens and foreign microbial organisms.

An inevitable inflammation and flare-ups will follow contributing to further and aggravated itchiness and discomfort.

Another very similar type of autoimmune disorder is thought to occur when the immune system is weakened due to constant exposure to stressful situations.

Psoriasis while most of the time being a genetic condition with symptoms very similar to eczema, it may also be triggered by stressful life events.

It is a common disorder affecting almost 3% of the population and it is characterized by rapid and abnormal growth of skin cells followed by a formation of silvery scales on the outermost layers of the skin.

Having psoriasis is stressful on its own, though being constantly presented to emotionally stressful factors will further contribute to flare-ups.

5. Stress Rash

Stress is becoming increasingly associated with an outbreak of hives which are characterized as raised, red-colored spots or welts.

This can make up what is described as a stress rash.

Areas affected by stress rash feel itchy or in more severe cases can cause anything from mild tingling to a burning sensation when touched.

These dry and inflamed patches can develop in one area on the skin but they can often “connect” to form even larger welts that typically vary in size.