It is not only your health that is affected when you are under stress. Stress can also cause havoc to your skin, resulting to rashes, skin dryness and acne breakouts.
To reduce stress, know your daily habits and work on them. Use the tips below to correct the 6 symptoms of stress.
1. Redness
If you are under so much stress, there is an increased blood flow, causing your capillaries to expand. It can also trigger flushing of the skin, known as rosacea. Stress also weakens your immune system, causing flare-ups to last longer.
Remedy:
Apply topical creams made with anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as licorice root extract and allantoin, which can ease ruddiness. If you’re suffering from rosacea, topical prescriptions is needed to reduce inflammation.
2. Rashes and itchy skin
Common skin conditions such as eczema, worsens when you are under severe stress. People also tend to itch and scratch for no apparent reason, when under stress. This may lead to eczema like rashes, when scratched hard enough.
This is because when you are under stress, blood flow is diverted away from your
skin, towards the vital organs, leading to worsening existing allergies and
rashes. Also the chemical histamine is triggered, causing allergic reactions.
3. Acne
Stress tends to increase the inflammation leading to breakouts.
Remedy:
Use a lotion that contains benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and a noncomedogenic moisturizer, so your skin will not get too dry.
4. Dryness
Severe stress increases the hormone cortisol, that damages your skin’s ability to hold on to water. This loss of moisture also results to diminishing luminosity.
Remedy:
– Use lukewarm water when washing your face. Hot temperature strip your skin’s oil.
– Putting on face cream while your skin is still slightly wet traps moisture.
– Also look for fragrance-free and hypoallergenic products. Since these products have lower pH levels, they prevent further inflammation and dryness.
5. Fine lines
Glycation, a process that causes cortisol to trigger an elevation in blood sugar, results to damage in elastin and collagen. Elastin and collagen are the protein fibers that plump your skin and keep it smooth. Also constant muscle tension causes permanent wrinkling.
Remedy:
Over-the counter creams made with antioxidants and retinol, boost collagen production for firmer skin.
6. Tired eyes
Stress and anxiety leads to sleepless nights, causing puffiness.
Remedy:
– Sleep with your head slightly elevated to prevent fluid from pooling, leading to puffiness.
– Also you can use cucumber slices as ice packs for your eyes. This will constrict the lymph and blood vessels, that brings fluid to the eye area.
