Mental health and your skin may not be a combination that comes to mind, but there is a link between our skin and how we feel. If you’ve blushed when embarrassed or gone white when you’re scared, then you’ve experienced a minor form of this. Unfortunately, there are also more severe ways our state of mind could be impacting our skin.
Acne
Acne is a by product of inflammation and stress and anxiety can cause your inflammation levels to increase rapidly. When this happens your glands may produce more oil which when it sticks to dead skin blocks pores and causes breakouts. There are other lifestyle factors that can cause acne, but stress and anxiety are certainly one potential cause of your breakouts.
Ageing
Ever heard of worry lines? It seems there is some truth to that. When you’re stressed your cortisol levels spike and cortisol has been linked to accelerating the ageing process. Sadly, that means more wrinkles and a decrease in the firmness and brightness of the skin.
Eczema
As mentioned above when our bodies are under stress or suffering from anxiety our inflammation levels soar. Also, cortisol, the stress hormone, disrupts the production of hyaluronic acid which helps to moisturise the skin. These two combined can lead to eczema as well as other conditions such as rosacea.
We know none of this is good news and quite often skin issues like these can cause greater stress and anxiety to the sufferer. Nevertheless, maintaining a good skincare routine may help lessen the impact on your skin. Identifying what is causing your stress and finding ways to calm yourself may help. Finally, if you are suffering from any of these issues you should consult your GP or speak to a mental health practitioner. There are lots of people out there if you feel you need some help.
