Ever noticed a correlation between your stress levels and the skin problems you have to deal with? It’s not just a coincidence – stress directly influences the complexion in a few different ways. This then has the effect of leaving the affected person even more stressed out, which then causes the skin to act up even further! As you can see, it’s a vicious circle that many struggle to break out of.
The good news is that there’s plenty that you can do to mitigate the impact of stress on your complexion. Read on as Venofye talks you through the impact that stress has on your skin, along with tips on how to counter this.
How Does Stress Affect the Skin?
Stress is a physical response that your body undergoes when faced with certain situations. It essentially puts the body into fight or flight mode, causing the body to release certain hormones, including cortisol and adrenalin, to help it deal with the stressful situation at hand.
Those hormones are what lead to problems with the skin. They interfere with several of the skin’s functions, resulting in:
- Inflammation and redness
- Increased sebum production, giving the skin a greasy feel
- Clogged pores from the extra sebum, resulting in increased acne breakouts
- A disrupted skin barrier, which causes increased sensitivities
- Flare-ups of chronic skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea
- Slower wound healing
- Puffy under-eyes and eye bags
- Dryness and dehydration
- Accelerated wrinkle formation
- Rashes and hives
Fortunately, you’re unlikely to experience all of those symptoms at once. Everyone’s skin reacts to those stress hormones in a different way, making it important to identify your skin’s individual response. Once you do, this will help to guide the way in mitigating the visible effects of stress on your skin.
How to Deal With Stressed-Out Skin
So, what can you do if you’re currently experiencing high amounts of stress but don’t want your skin to continue suffering from it? Here are some top tips:
Continue Following a Basic Skincare Routine
During periods of high stress, caring for your skin might feel like the last thing that you want to do. However, neglecting your skin at this point is only going to make everything worse. Instead, stick with the skincare basics. This way, your routine will be quick and simple, saving it from causing you even more stress.
What do the basics involve?
It starts with a good cleanse. However, with studies confirming that stress deteriorates the skin barrier, you need to be careful with your choice of cleanser. Pick a gentle formula that isn’t going to contribute to even more barrier damage, such as the Venofye Blossom Bee Clarifying Cream Cleanser.
After cleansing in the morning, all you need to do is apply the Orchard Bee Brilliance Cream SPF 30. This will take care of two steps in one; moisturizing and sun protection. In the evenings, follow your cleanser up with a night cream, just like the Blossom Bee Quenching Night Cream. It will have you waking up to skin that looks fresh and balanced!
Work on Soothing the Look of Inflammation
Inflammation usually goes hand-in-hand with stress. The increased cortisol shooting around your body triggers an inflammatory response. In fact, this inflammation is then responsible for many of the other skin symptoms you might notice during times of stress, from flare-ups in chronic skin conditions to increased acne breakouts.
If inflammation is causing you problems, work on keeping your skin calm and happy. How? By using skincare ingredients that have been proven to lower the feeling of inflammation in the skin.
Aloe vera is an ingredient that’s great for doing this. Research confirms that it can counter the look of inflammation in the skin while also leaving the skin feeling better protected against future bouts of inflammation. Chamomile extract is another ingredient that’s revered for having similar effects. Give the Blossom Bee Facial Toner from Venofye a try and you’ll be able to treat your skin to both ingredients!
Give Your Skin Some Extra Hydration
With stress causing skin barrier function to decline, this leaves the skin prone to dehydration. Moisture will be able to evaporate out of stressed-out skin much more easily than normal, leaving skin cells lacking in water. This then exacerbates the other problems that stress causes. Sebum production will rise even more while inflammation becomes an even bigger issue.
Fortunately, it’s easy to put a stop to all of that. Extra hydration is what your skin needs and there are plenty of products out there that can provide that. The toner featured above will help, as will the Venofye Iron Bee Boosting Serum. It’s packed with moisture-binding ingredients, including sodium hyaluronate, peptides, collagen, and glycerin. It will quickly quench your skin, immediately leaving it looking happier and less stressed.
Invest in Eye Care Products to Counter the Appearance of Puffy Eyes
Although stress doesn’t directly cause puffy eyes, it tends to lead to sleep deprivation. This then results in puffiness and dark shadows. Sometimes, these fade soon after waking. However, other times, they don’t and require some extra help.
This is where the right eye care products can save the day. The Venofye Royal Jelly Eye BeeLift is particularly revolutionary, with this formula capable of smoothing away the look of puffiness in just seconds. Its unique applicator enables you to directly target your under-eye area, saving you from wasting the product on the parts of your skin that don’t need it.
The Royal Jelly Bee Luminescent Eye Serum is another formula that will have your eye area looking smoother and less puffy. This product also contains several ingredients that will lighten the appearance of dark circles and shadows, giving your eye area some extra radiance.
Relax in a Warm Bath
One way to quickly relieve stress for both your mind and your skin is by relaxing in a warm bath. Research shows that a soothing soak decreases the concentration of stress hormones in the body. It can also balance serotonin levels, which will give your mood a boost.
With that said, let’s not forget that hot water can be detrimental to the skin. So, keep your bath warm but not scorching. Limit your soaks to 10-15 minutes and avoid taking a bath more than twice a week.
Once you step out of the tub, follow up with your skincare routine. In addition to showing the skin on your face some love, don’t forget to also pamper the skin on your body. The Venofye Body Butter is the perfect way to do this!
Prioritize Sleep
Did you know that adults who sleep for less than eight hours each night have higher stress levels than those who sleep for more than eight hours? This is down to how quality sleep gives your body time to balance out its hormone levels, meaning that stress hormones decline. Healthy sleep habits will also improve your body’s ability to process stress, meaning that it won’t have such a noticeable impact on your skin.
What happens if you’re too stressed to sleep?
Try encouraging sleep by establishing regular sleep/wake times that you stick to every day, even on weekends. Stop using electronic devices a couple of hours before bed and make an effort to turn your bedroom into a soothing haven. Luxurious bedding, dim lighting, and the perfect temperature will all help your body to drift off.
Add the Venofye Beehive HydraLift Mask to your evening routine and your skin will benefit even more while you snooze. This no-rinse overnight mask is packed with hydrating ingredients and antioxidants that will give your skin a much smoother and brighter finish.
Turn to Physical Activities
Another way to ensure that you sleep well at night is by physically tiring your body out. Not only will this make it easier to fall asleep but exercise can also directly lower your stress levels by diminishing the stress hormones in your body. Plus, it will also likely take your mind off whatever you’re feeling stressed about while providing a boost of endorphins. This is great for both mood and mental health.
Just about any form of exercise will be beneficial when you’re stressed. Swimming, jogging, dancing, and playing a sport are all popular options. If you’d prefer something a little slower-paced, consider yoga. It will give your body a workout while also encouraging you to practice mindfulness – something else that can lower stress levels!
Establish Healthy Lifestyle Habits
If you’re feeling stressed, the last thing you want to do is increase the toll that your stress is having on your body. Unfortunately, if you’ve adopted some unhealthy lifestyle habits, this is exactly what you’ll end up doing.
If you want your body and your skin to feel their very best, healthy habits are a must. Your diet is one of the most important aspects of this. Cut back on highly processed foods and sugar/salt-filled snacks as these will only increase inflammation in the body, exacerbating the inflammation caused by stress. Swap these foods for fresh fruits and vegetables, along with lean proteins that contain plenty of essential fatty acids, and you’ll experience the opposite – stress levels declining.
It would also be worth assessing any vices that you’ve developed due to stress. Smoking and alcohol consumption, for example, can often rise when a person is feeling stressed out. Although cutting back on these habits may not seem very appealing at first, this can go a long way in keeping your body and mind happy and stress-free.
Summary
There’s no getting away from the impact that stress has on the skin. It affects the complexion in so many different ways, causing problems that will only leave you feeling even more stressed as a result. It goes without saying that you’ll need to put a stop to this cycle. Start by giving your skin the TLC that it needs before trying out the various stress-busting techniques that we’ve shared. Once your stress levels start to drop, your skin will soon improve, which will then leave you in a much happier state of mind!
Click here to check out more bestselling skincare products from Venofye.
0 comments on “The Impact of Stress on Your Skin and How to Mitigate it”