The Hidden Link Between Stress and Skin Problems

Why your skin suffers when you’re stressed

Ever noticed your skin breaks out right when it’s least convenient? Like right before a big presentation or event? That’s because how you’re feeling on the inside can affect the health of your skin on the outside.

Although lots of internal factors can impact your skin health, we’re going to focus on stress. As something we all experience, stress can have consequences on the whole body, including the skin.

In this article, we’ll discuss what stress is, what it can do to your skin, how this can lead to skin problems, and, most importantly, what you can do about it.

What is stress?

Stress is how your body reacts to what it thinks is a dangerous situation. It’s a useful response when you’re in genuine danger, such as being chased by a wild animal, but it’s less helpful when you’re about to lead a big project at work or struggling to meet a deadline.

Acute or short-term stress comes on and goes away quickly once the stressor has gone. It is a response that gives your body what it needs to deal with a dangerous situation.

Chronic or long-term stress happens when the stressor is still present and stress continues over a prolonged period of time – this can be weeks, months, or even years. Your body is designed to respond to stress and then recover, so this prolonged stress can lead to mental and physical health problems.

What does stress do to the body?

Otherwise known as the fight-or-flight response, acute stress causes adaptations in the body that help you to fight or run away from danger.

Acute stress leads to contraction of muscle cells in the heart and blood vessels, causing your heart rate and blood pressure to increase. It also directs blood flow from the surface of the body into the muscle and important organs. Blood sugar levels also rise to give your body fuel to power itself.

This response is controlled by the hormone adrenaline, another related hormone called noradrenaline, and the sympathetic nervous system.

Chronic stress is controlled by a combination of glands known as the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) system. They secrete various hormones including the stress hormone cortisol.

Cortisol allows the body to stay on high alert, keeping blood sugar levels high and regulating the immune system.

Both acute and chronic stress can also affect the skin.

How stress affects the skin

Short-term stress leads to changes in the skin that help it to deal with potential damage, but not all of these changes are good for skin health.

The most common ways acute stress affects the skin include:

• Changes to the skin cells, junctions between them, and fatty substances found at the surface of the skin that can cause dryness, tightness and skin sensitivity

• Increased melanin production in certain skin cells called melanocytes, leading to areas of pigmentation

• Altered immune function of the skin, causing inflammation and changes to the skin microbiome (microorganisms that naturally live on the skin)

• Increased sweating, which can cause changes in the hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands

• Hormone-induced changes to the nerves and blood vessels in the skin, including the skin’s ability to regulate temperature

These changes can trigger various skin conditions – more on this later.

Chronic stress can also impact the skin, partly due to the increase in cortisol levels. Cortisol can increase inflammation and stimulate the production of sebum: the skin’s natural oil that moisturises and protects the skin. It can also delay wound healing.

Changes in the immune system can increase the chances of an infection, which is made worse by slower wound healing than normal.

How you deal with stress also impacts your skin

Although you can’t always help the changes that happen in your skin thanks to stress, how you deal with stress also affects your skin. Not getting enough sleep, eating sugary or high-fat foods, and neglecting skincare regimes can all impact your skin.

While you sleep, your body repairs itself, and this includes the skin. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your skin barrier may not have time to repair itself, leading to water loss, skin dryness, and earlier signs of ageing.

Stress has been linked to worse eating habits, including uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, and less healthy food choices. If you’re stressed, you’re more likely to opt for unhealthy choices that contain high amounts of sugar, salt, and fat.

These types of foods can negatively impact your skin health. High sugar has been linked to reduced skin elasticity, increased skin inflammation, and skin conditions like acne. Eating a high amount of fat, especially saturated fat, can also increase skin inflammation and trigger skin diseases.

Common skin conditions linked to stress

Although stress can cause certain skin conditions like telogen effluvium, it can trigger other conditions in people who are already predisposed to them.

Eczema

One example of a skin condition triggered by stress is eczema. Eczema is a common skin condition that causes itchy, dry, sore patches of skin on the body and face. We don’t fully understand what causes eczema, but we know it runs in families and is related to allergies and that certain things can trigger a flare-up, like stress.

In fact, stress is known to trigger eczema in 57% of women and 41% of men.

Acne

Stress is a known trigger for other skin conditions, including acne. Again, stress doesn’t directly cause acne, but the chronic stress hormone cortisol increases sebum production which can block pores and lead to acne breakouts.

Inflammatory skin conditions

As stress can worsen inflammation, this can trigger skin conditions that are caused by inflammation, like psoriasis and rosacea. As stress can lead to sweating and facial flushing, this can also make rosacea symptoms more noticeable.

Telogen effluvium

We’ve discussed how stress can worsen skin conditions that you already have, but in some cases, it can also cause new skin problems.

Telogen effluvium is a condition where excessive amounts of hair fall out of the scalp. Although it can also be caused by medication and other changes in the body, stress is a common cause. But how does this happen?

Stress pushes hairs from the growing stage into the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. When these follicles re-enter the growing stage, these hairs fall out all at once.

Hives

Otherwise known as a stress rash, hives appear as an itchy pink or red rash that is sometimes raised. Hives can be triggered by stress, or more specifically due to the skin changes linked to stress like inflammation, skin flushing, and sweating.

Hives can also be caused by an allergy or other factors, so it’s a good idea to work out what the specific triggers are for you.

Protecting your skin from stress

The best way to protect your skin is by finding healthy ways to manage your stress.

Find something you like that helps you relax like mindfulness, spending time in nature, or talking through your stress with friends and family. This will help you to avoid using unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with things like eating comfort foods or drinking alcohol, both of which can impact your skin.

Another great way to reduce your stress and look after your skin is by working out regularly. Exercise helps reduce stress hormone levels and boost your mood by releasing the feel-good chemicals known as endorphins.

Although it’s not as important as other things, your skincare regime can help keep your skin healthy and counteract some of the effects of stress.

Stressed skin can become dry, so you can counteract this by only cleansing your skin once a day using a mild cleanser that removes impurities without stripping away your natural oils. Follow this up with a moisturiser of your choice to keep skin hydrated and maintain your skin barrier.

The moisturiser you choose will vary depending on your skin type and any skin conditions you’re dealing with. If your skin is sensitive, you may want to avoid anything with irritating ingredients like retinol or with a scent.

It’s always a good idea to use a daily face SPF to protect the vulnerable skin on your face from sun damage. If it’s sunny outside, it’s also good to apply SPF to your body or to keep your skin covered up to avoid UV damage.

The last word on stress and skin health

Whether you’re stressed due to a sudden unexpected situation or your stress is more of a long-term problem, how you’re feeling can affect your whole body, including your skin.

It’s essential to find healthy ways to deal with stress to stop it from affecting your mental and physical health, including the most visible part of your body: your skin.

Finding ways to de-stress like mindfulness, working out regularly, or talking things through with someone you trust can help reduce your stress levels and stop you from turning to bad habits as a way to cope.

A simple skincare routine that gently cleanses skin whilst keeping it moisturised can be helpful to keep your skin healthy. Try not to over complicate things, as you’re unlikely to keep up with a complex multi-step routine when you’ve got other things on your mind.