TAKE THE STRESS OUT
Whoever coined the term ‘worry lines’ was on to something. Anxiety, tension and everyday angst are hitting your skin, triggering breakouts, dryness and premature ageing. But don’t stress about it – we’ve got you covered
You owe your complexion a hand against life’s pressures
You’re feeling frazzled, you say? Well, what does that mean? Burnt-out? Stressed? Like a bacon flavoured deep-fried maize snack? Whatever you’re referring to, we can tell you what it looks like. Along with dishevelled hair and an unseeing glare, cortisol-spiking, day-ruining stress can reveal itself in your complexion. ‘Recent research shows that at least 30% of patients with skin problems have an underlying psychological issue, such as anxiety or depression,’ says Dr Ellie Cannon, author of Is Your Job Making You Ill? With the British Skin Foundation claiming that one in four GP appointments now relates to skin disorders, there’s a whole new branch of medicine dedicated to it – psychodermatology. A dermatology splinter group, instead of putting your skin under the microscope, it assesses your physical and psychological state before prescribing an action plan. The damage that mental fatigue and angst can do to your face is real, experts claim. The chain of effects goes a little something like this: external stressors are perceived as a threat by your mind and body, causing your adrenal glands to switch into overdrive as a natural defence mechanism. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol spike – and it takes the perceived threat disappearing or some hefty relaxation to bring levels down again. Too much cortisol not only escalates the skin’s natural production of oil, it also causes inflammation, which is why stress is often linked to chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and rosacea. ‘Inflammation is one of the body’s protective reactions to injury or infection, but too much becomes detrimental to the dermis,’ adds Dr Cannon. Never far behind the science, leading brands are responding in kind with new products created to tackle the harm cortisol does to the skin. ‘Market analysts Mintel reported that stress is a massive focus for the mature millennial in today’s world, where people are taking on more and more and often sacrificing sleep or nutrition, so we know it needs to be addressed by our skincare,’ says Noella Gabriel, co-founder of Elemis. ‘Our Superfood Skincare range contains a combination of antioxidants to reduce stress and balance bad bacteria with good.’ And This Works has introduced Stress Check, an entire range dedicated to allaying stress damage to the skin. ‘While we need cortisol to take us from asleep to awake every morning, sustained levels can lead to anxiety,’ says Dr Anna Persaud, CEO of This Works. ‘So our focus was on creating morning-use products that would address that.’ Then there’s Ren, whose Evercalm range includes natural ingredients to target inflammation and soothe itchiness and redness.
UNDER THE SKIN
How severely your skin may react to stress is impossible to predict. ‘Some individuals inherit a genetic predisposition that makes their skin receptors more sensitive to hormones, which informs the amount of oil produced,’ says dermatologist Dr Frances Prenna Jones. For some, stress might manifest itself as eczema on their elbows; for others, it might be rosacea on the cheeks or an oily breakout on the chin. And all this disruption to your skin’s defensive barrier leaves you wide open to premature ageing and wrinkles caused by external aggressors – something that Colette Haydon, founder of Lixirskin, has dubbed ‘inflammaging’. As well as attacking your dermis cells, stress influences your lifestyle choices, too, which can directly impact the state of your skin. ‘In times of stress, many people turn to sugary foods and alcohol, but evidence suggests drinking makes the symptoms of psoriasis worse, and research supports the link between a high-gi diet and the symptoms of acne,’ says Dr Daniel Glass, consultant dermatologist at the Dermatology Clinic London. Bingeing on sugar causes big swings in insulin, which, in turn, causes spikes in cortisol, and the knock-on effect is an over-production of oil. You see where this is going, right?
FACING THE ISSUE
So what’s the answer? As when dealing with stress from a mental health perspective, identifying triggers is key. Keep a log of when your skin seems to deteriorate, then see if that syncs with times of stress – if the two correlate, your skin ailments are likely to be hormone-related. Next, try to regain balance, starting with your brain rather than your beauty products. Change too many factors, such as skincare regime, diet and sleeping patterns, and it’s tricky to determine what’s actually helped. This is where psychodermatology is starting to come into play. ‘Skin diseases need to be treated holistically, especially because some conditions like eczema and psoriasis don’t have physical cures,’ says Dr Glass. Scientists at the University of Manchester found that cognitive behavioural therapy had a profound effect on those suffering from psoriasis, and patients at Dr Glass’s clinic are given access to both dermatologists and psychologists. Only after a thorough assessment – analysing a patient’s sleep, relationships, everyday life, appetite, significant life events and how they feel about their skin – is a hypothesis given as to what may be triggering and exacerbating their skin problems.
A HEALING TOUCH
If therapy seems a bit much for you, don’t fret – there are myriad mindfulness and self-care strategies you can practise to improve your skin, starting with your fingers. A simple switch from quickly slapping your products on to massaging in serums and creams will automatically rid your face and jaw of built-up tension. It also increases circulation, helping skin cells to regenerate and recover. Extend the massage down beyond your face, out to your neck, décolletage and your ears (you heard us). ‘By pinching your lobes and rubbing your ears, you can boost facial circulation, stimulate neural pathways and help balance hormones,’ says facialist Su-man Hsu, who draws on the methods of traditional Chinese medicine in her practice. One final piece of advice? Once you’ve made the switch, try to chill out, because your skin won’t perfect itself overnight. Whether you’re introducing new products, instilling new application habits or making therapeutic tweaks to your lifestyle, Dr Prenna Jones advises monitoring the results for at least four weeks, which equates to one skin-cell cycle. No stress.