Be calm, Stress can Damage your Skin

If you thought that all stress brought was a headache or some other emotional or psychological condition, we’re here to tell you that that’s not all.  You should know that stress can also wreak havoc on your skin, that could cause even more stress.

According to dermatologist and psychiatrist Amy Wechsler of New York: a perfect face, free of wrinkles and acne is achieved not only by eating healthfully, drinking water and applying the best natural masks, but also by taking a few minutes to breathe deeply, inhaling, holding for three seconds and then exhaling.

Knowing this, relax, breathe deep, don’t get stressed out, because this only weakens the immune system and causes illnesses.  It also could cause accelerated aging and skin damage.

Presence of cortisol

As explained, whenever you get stressed, your anxiety increases the hormone cortisol.  This then causes inflammation which breaks colagen fibers and, in people prone to this, immediately produces redness and even the appearance of acne.

Therefore, if you do not find any way to release all that negative energy, all the cells in your body slowly deteriorate and age, due to the release of free radicals.

In other cases, stress could also cause the famous seborrheic dermatitis, which is characterized by pink or red skin flakes around both sides of the nose, the eyebrows and underneath them.  If the condition is chronic it could even affect the cheeks and scalp.

You could experience skin infections or dryness without any apparent reason.  You could even notice that the wrinkles in your elbows and knees are affected, in spite of applying some sort of moisturizing cream.

The solution

If you have a lot of tension, worry about daily tasks at your job, at home, or in your studies, you need to find some way to throw out this energy, which only damages your health.

Follow an exercise plan, set a schedule, it could be in the morning or at night so you sleep more relaxed.  Physical exertion frees endorphins and hormones that naturally relax the body.

You could start getting massages or you could find some sort of activity that you enjoy, singing, dancing, drawing, swimming…there are a lot of anti-stress therapies that you could benefit from even from the comfort of your home.

Learn to control your impulses.  If some sort of news unsettles you, or if you lose your head, you need to immediately transform it into breathing, deeply inhaling and dissipating the idea that caused it.  Then drink a glass of water and mentally process what happened.

Diet and masks

At any rate, don’t forget to eat a healthy diet, based on fruits, vegetables, and proper hydration.  If you want to improve the way your skin looks, making it younger, it’s a good idea to apply a natural mask, even just once a week, to reverse the aging effect.

You could use natural products like seaweed, avocado, pickles, or honey, that help relax and strengthen the musculature in the face.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 12/31/2017

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