What Is Stress Doing To Your Skin?

The need to know about stress, skin, and stressed skin. You probably already guessed that the way you’re feeling can affect your skin. Just think about it: when you’re sad, it’s as if your skin looks more dull and tired, versus when you’re feeling uplifted - your skin almost always automatically looks brighter as well. So I guess it won’t come as a surprise to find out that a stressful lifestyle means breakouts.

How Does It Wreak Havoc On Our Skin? 

Take it from someone who is an expert Googler: stress can affect the body in many ways. One of the main culprits would seem to be “cortisol” (aka the stress hormone). The chemical changes that happen in our bodies when we are under a lot of stress can cause skincare conditions to flare up, visible puffiness and swelling (especially around the under-eye region), and give an overall dull and lifeless appearance to the skin. 

So what exactly does stress skin look like? Simple answer: it’s not the same for everyone. Your skin type is actually what indicates how your skin will respond to stress. For example, combination or oily skin is more likely to suffer an increase in breakouts during stressful periods. Whereas dry or sensitive skin could be more at risk of developing irritation, rashes, and more. What's more, if you suffer from any skin conditions you can expect the presence of stress to emphasize them even more than usual.  

4 Ways To Relieve Stressed Skin

 Unfortunately, avoiding stress completely is unrealistic (especially in today's age). However, there are definitely some great and super simple ways that you can successfully de-stress your skin.  

Walk It Off: Even if you’ve got a bad case of the breakouts, getting a quick workout in can actually help you reduce stress, and get that post-workout skin glow. The truth of the matter is if you keep your gym skincare routine on point, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll get a little extra flare-up thanks to totally avoidable sweat pimples.

Sleep On It: No. That paper is not more important than catching up on your Z’s. Not getting enough sleep is a recipe for disaster. Tired skin that is more prone to breakouts and other skin conditions, and trust us, it’s not worth it. Of course, it varies with age, but ideally 7-8 hours of sleep each night is what you should be aiming for if you want your skin to look rejuvenated. 

Pamper Your Skin: Ah, there are no two words we love to hear more. We know it’s hard to muster up the energy (and find the time) when you’re under a lot of stress, but giving yourself an at-home spa day will feel like a God-send for your skin. 

Massage Your Worries Away: You don’t have to go to a professional dermatologist if you want to get a nice de-stressing facial massage. You’re well equipped enough to do it yourself, from the comfort of your own bathroom. There are plenty of tutorials online that can show you how to conduct your own facial massage. 

LUNA™ 3: Your Anti-Stress Treat

If you’re still looking for a little extra help then you’re definitely going to want to check out the LUNA™ 3. Conducting your own lymphatic drainage massage can feel daunting, especially for first-timers - you simply never know if you’re doing it right. That’s where LUNA™ 3’s app-guided tutorials come in handy to coach you every step of the way.

 Learn more about LUNA™ 3

Hopefully, this helped you understand why your skin acts up so much when you're feeling like you're under a lot of pressure. We gave you some great tips on how to say goodbye to stressed-out skin, and now it's your turn! What are some ways that you love to unwind and treat your skin after a hard day? Tell us about your go-to stressed skincare hacks in the comment section below.