Written by OSEA Staff | Published on: July 25, 2024
Everyone experiences stress every now and then, but prolonged stress can have a major impact on your body — including your skin. Whether it’s a long and challenging project at work or ongoing family drama, chronic stress can damage the look and feel of your skin, especially as you age. But how exactly does stress affect the skin, and what can you do to mitigate the harm?
What Are the Effects of Stress on the Skin?
When we’re stressed, our body releases stress hormones known as cortisol. Our body reacts to cortisol in a number of ways, from increasing sebum production (which causes acne and breakouts) to a loss of skin elasticity (which increases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles). Bad stress habits like furrowing your brow, touching your face, and getting less sleep can exacerbate these effects.
Stress can even weaken the protective outer barrier of the skin, which can reduce your skin’s ability to retain moisture. This results in dry, cracked, and irritated skin. The fight-or-flight response to stress can even cause inflammation. For those with existing skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea, stress can aggravate symptoms. This could lead to more frequent flare-ups and worsen dryness, redness, and itchiness.
Does Collagen Production Slow as the Body Ages?
Collagen is an important protein for strengthening the tissue in the skin, bones, tendons, and other connective tissues. As we age, collagen production in our bodies naturally starts to slow down. This lowers elasticity, makes skin thinner and dryer, and leads to poor complexion, making wrinkles and fine lines more pronounced. Other factors like smoking, prolonged sun exposure, and excess alcohol can also reduce collagen production.
Inflammation and cortisol overproduction due to stress slow collagen production as well. Put simply, the effects of stress can have a similar toll on your skin as a result of aging. Plus, the effects of stress on skin tend to compound with the aging process.
4 Ways to Reduce Stress and Replenish Skin
Now that you know how stress can affect skin, what can you do to combat the harm? Fortunately, there are plenty of steps you can add to your daily routine to promote visibly smooth, firm, and hydrated skin.
1. Practice Self-Care
Avoiding all stressors might not be possible, but you owe it to yourself to take care of your body and mind. Start your mornings or end your nights with relaxing activities like yoga, meditation, deep breathing, or even sitting down with a good book. This can help calm your mind and refocus your energy and attention on your well-being.
A great way to help recenter your mind is to practice a vagus nerve massage. The vagus nerve helps activate the body’s response to relaxation, as well as helps regulate stress. Our Vagus Nerve Oil helps melt away all signs of stress. Simply add a few drops to your palms, rub them together, and lightly inhale the relaxing scent. Then, in a circular motion, gently massage along both sides of your neck and behind your earlobes for a soothing experience.
2. Try to Cut Back on Bad Habits
Nervous habits like touching your face or scrunching up your eyebrows can worsen the effects of stress on the skin. Look for ways to call attention to these habits so you can better catch yourself before doing them. For example, switching to a scented hand soap or wearing rings may help draw attention to where your hands are.
3. Establish Healthy Habits
Sometimes, forgetting to take care of your body can add to stress. Good habits like getting at least 7 hours of sleep, staying hydrated, and eating a nutritious diet can help your body feel better. Exercise is also known to reduce cortisol levels, so try to work out at least 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week.
4. Add Hydrating Products to Your Routine
One of the best ways to replenish skin is by building the right skincare routine. Focusing on deeply moisturizing products that promote elasticity and smoothness will go a long way. For example, the hyaluronic acid in our Hyaluronic Sea Serum draws moisture to the skin, providing ultimate hydration, visibly improved firmness and healthy-looking skin. Our seaweed-rich Sea Minerals Mist hydrates and primes the face for dewy, youthful-looking skin.
Use our Dayglow Face Oil® with the smooth jade Gua Sha Sculptor to reduce facial tension and refresh your skin.
For hydration that penetrates the skin deeply and provides extended moisturization, try our new Dream Night Cream. This highly nourishing, ultra-rich cream is the first clinically tested overnight moisturizer to reduce the effects of stress on the skin. This cream includes algae-derived bio retinol, king of bitters, organic wild lavender and five vital hydrators (including glycerin and shea butter) to promote visibly firm and smooth skin.
