How Emotions Affect Your Skin
Blushing when you're embarrassed, breaking out in goose bumps when you hear something chilling—they're common examples that prove we just can't separate how we feel from how our skin looks. Can we use that information to our face's benefit? Yes! So say the dual-purpose docs we spoke to: dermatologists with additional training in psychiatry or psychology (or vice versa) who treat both the physical and the emotional. Along with taking care of their patients' skin, they may practice talk therapy or even prescribe antidepressants or antianxiety medication. The upshot? A unique perspective when it comes to solving all kinds of complexion concerns. Read on for their special brand of skin-saving advice.
Lesson 1: The mind-skin connection is real.
There's no shortage of ways that emotions manifest themselves in physical symptoms—think butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous or a pounding heart when you're scared—but this effect is particularly strong when it comes to your skin. The relationship begins in the womb: "The skin and nervous system share a common embryonic origin, meaning the same cells form both the brain and the skin," explains Josie Howard, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist with expertise in psychodermatology. This creates an inextricable connection, which shows up in a multitude of ways you may not even notice (more on that later).
Lesson 2: Stress is the root of many skin evils.
Blame cortisol. This hormone is released any time you feel tense, triggering a fight-or-flight response that enables you to react quickly in life-threatening situations. While it's beneficial if you're being chased by a bear, it's not quite so helpful in daily life. Yet these hormonal shifts accompany every kind of stressful experience: a bad day at work, grief over the death of a loved one, prolonged anger over current events.
"Cortisol is meant to be pumped out for only a few seconds or a minute," explains New York City board-certified dermatologist and psychiatrist Amy Wechsler, MD. "When it's chronically elevated for days or weeks on end, it has all kinds of negative effects on the skin." Excess cortisol breaks down collagen, increases moisture loss, triggers inflammation, dilates blood vessels, slows cell turnover and increases sebum production, she says.
Translation: Say hello to wrinkles, dryness, irritation, redness, dullness and breakouts. When a skin ailment strikes, it's on display for the world to see, which is why skin issues have such an intense emotional impact, explains Howard: "As soon as we sense that people around us are judging our appearance, we feel stressed. It starts a vicious cycle."
Lesson 3: Sleep will save you.
It's called beauty sleep for a reason. While you snooze at night, cortisol levels are at their lowest and growth hormones are at their highest, explains Wechsler. These nutritive molecules ensure your outer layer is functioning properly and maximizing its ability to repair itself, she adds. Feeling serene or upbeat has similar effects to getting a good night's sleep (this is why when you're happy, people say you're glowing). Your skin can also benefit from another bedroom activity that begins with s: "Sex not only lowers cortisol, it also increases both beta-endorphins and oxytocin, an anti-inflammatory molecule," Wechsler says, all of which work wonders for your skin.
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