Effects of Stress on Premature Skin Aging

Find out how stress is leading to your premature skin aging and what can you do about it!

Busy routines, mental health, and our day to day relations can cause us stress. If you are a person who does undergo a lot of stress then chances are you will end up having premature skin ageing. However, most people are unaware of the amount of stress they are going through and what effects it can have on their bodies. Stress in itself causes harm to the skin and ageing is a natural process that affects the skin regularly. One would still not want to go through premature ageing and cause harm to their skin.

If you have been slightly feeling stressed or tensed, read on to find out how to spot that your body is taking the stress and how it is affecting your skin.

Stress signs you can notice in your body

Gray Hair that you might have noticed

Do you see a few strands of grey hair? Grey hair is one extremely prominent sign of stress. Some consider grey hair hereditary and while grey hair is used to represent ageing, stress is one of the big ageing causes that you are considered old enough to have them. If you come across a few grey hairs then it’s time to check in with yourself about your stress levels.

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Fatigue that won’t end

Tiredness and fatigue resulting from lack of proper sleep is also a sign of stress. A good night’s sleep can prepare you for the long day ahead. When the body does not receive proper sleep of about seven to eight hours then it will result in fatigue. It is time to get some good sleep without added stress and tap into the reason why you were not having it in the first place.

Aches around your body

If you have body pains even when you wake up and occasionally feel chest pains then chances are you are stressed. Chest pains aren’t to be taken lightly so if you feel regular and extreme pains then check in with a doctor. If your body aches as if you have been working out for a long then your mind is extremely stressed and you are seeing the signs in your body in the form of body pains.

All these aging signs not only affect the body but the quality of life and also harm the skin resulting in premature skin aging.

Stress leading to premature skin aging:

You don’t sleep enough

As discussed above, one of the signs of stress is not getting proper sleep. By not getting enough sleep, you can develop bags under your eyes. The eyes become puffy because of the fluid building due to lack of sleep. This can be cured by getting good sleep however, it can also become permanent if the sleep cycle remains disturbed.

Puffy eyes and dark circles

Another sign of premature aging skin is related to the eyes, and dark circles. In stress, the capillaries under the eye can break forming dark circles. Again, by reducing stress and dealing with its cause, one can get rid of dark circles but if continued, they too can become permanent. While eye creams exist to reduce both the puffiness under the eyes and lighten the dark circles, they are still not as effective as reducing stress levels.

Stress gives you wrinkles

A sign of aging is wrinkles but stress can cause you to have them before time. If you constantly furrow your eyebrows or keep your mouth tight, then wrinkles will form on your face. These reactions on the face can be due to something causing you stress. The stress hormone, Cortisol, breaks down collagen in your skin. Therefore, with increased stress, more cortisol is released and less elastin and collagen are re-built. Hence, forehead wrinkles appear because of the stress hormone Cortisol breaking down the collagen, leading to premature skin aging. While cortisol is one of the direct links with stress leading to premature aging skin, external factors like lack of sleep and being overworked can equally affect your skin and make it look dull and tired rather than fresh and glowing.

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Stress does not cause acne but if you do have it, then you will notice acne and pimples also increase under stress.

So what’s the solution for stress and ageing skin?

All these effects of stress on premature skin ageing can cause lots of damage to your skin and even if one way to tackle this is to use anti-ageing products, it is best to deal with the stress. Some of these damages can become permanent after being exposed continuously to the same amount of stress. Therefore, if you catch the ageing signs like grey hair, fatigue, and body pains then it is a good time to take a good look at your skin as well. If your skin is visibly suffering from dark circles, eye bags, and wrinkles then you know the stress will bring more harm than good.

Try figuring out what is causing that stress. If it is work then try to divide your time in a way that you can get enough sleep. Moreover, work on your habits to make a healthy lifestyle. You need forty days to make a habit permanent so start by getting a good night’s sleep, leading to drinking more water, meditating, and eating healthy. All you need is forty days to make all your skin worries go. Commit this time to also dealing with the stress that is coming from any external reasons like unemployment, bad relations, or any other pressure. Invest your time in yourself. Make exercise and daily walk regularly. Use aromatherapy if that is a thing that can help you. There are several ways one can cope with stress if it is beyond your control then try looking for therapy. The stress you take directly affects the youthful appearance of your skin. The skin is an equally essential organ of the body as everything else so try taking care of it as well as you take care of everything else. Hence, eliminate anything that is causing it trouble and live a healthy, stress-free, youthful life.

Filed under: Skin Care, Tips and Myths


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