Stress and Skin

Chill! The easiest way to healthy skin and hair.

Effects of stress on skin and hair explained.

Stress is the new normal.

Unfortunately, modern life and the pandemic have made sure that this statement is now truer than ever.

That stress is linked to heart and brain-related conditions is now a well-established fact and also now popularly acknowledged.

But unfortunately, I find that patients coming to me are sometimes unwilling to believe me when I state that a sudden outbreak of eczema or psoriatic patches on one’s skin is the effect of the stress they are undergoing.

In this article, I try to cover the various possible skin and hair issues that one can experience due to stress and how to deal with them.

Let’s begin with what exactly is stress?

Mental stress is often described as a state of mind in which a person feels distressed or anxious. Stress is in fact one of the most primordial reactions of a human body. When we feel under pressure our body experiences physiological responses like an increase in heart rate and respiratory rate and also releases certain hormones including adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol.

These help our body into a state of flight or fight. This by itself is critical for our survival and is actually a good thing. The problem starts when our body is constantly in a state of stress, leading to wear and tear of our body, to say the least.

So what does this have to do with my skin and hair?

Everything! Here are a few examples of how exactly stress can cause new skin and hair issues or cause an existing skin or hair issue to flare up.

Release of stress hormones causes an increase in oil production in your skin glands, which can lead to clogged pores and hence acne breakouts.
Stress causes your immune system to be triggered, which causes your skin to become more reactive and sensitive and hence it triggers or increases the intensity of conditions like eczema, urticaria, psoriasis, rosacea, etc.
There are also secondary effects that your skin experiences as a result of the lack of sleep that stress causes. Sleep helps rejuvenate our skin by increasing the collagen levels in our skin. Hence one can experience an increase in under-eye dark circles, increase in dry skin, etc.
Stress also tends to make a person much more likely to pick on any scabs or acne on the skin. This further leaves behind marks and scars.
Stress affects the proteins in our skin in general and hence one can experience an increase in the generation of fine lines and wrinkles due to the lack of elasticity in the skin.
Also, hair loss is an extremely common symptom of stress, this too is triggered by the fact that our immune system gets triggered and can cause bald patches or overall hair loss or premature greying of hair.
The action of biting nails coupled with the fact that stress causes changes in the proteins in your skin and nails can cause the nails to become brittle.

So what can I do to deal with stress?

Dealing with stress is all about getting the basics of living right:

Exercise: Brisk walk or jog, or yoga along with meditation releases certain positive hormones which help in reducing stress.
Sleep: Getting those adequate hours of sleep will make your skin look fresh and healthy.
Don’t neglect your skin. Follow the skin routine that you follow regularly.
Cut down on smoking and alcohol. Alcohol will increase bloating and hence dark circles, while smoking causes premature aging of the skin.
Do not shy away from getting help from a friend, family, or a counselor who can help you through your tough times.
Please consult a dermatologist for skin and hair health. Do not try to use a home remedy or over-the-counter solution.

What if I see the effects of stress on my skin and hair?

While it is extremely important that the underlying cause of stress be dealt with, the symptoms of stress need not be ignored.

For example, at InUrSkn we offer a host of procedures that can help you alleviate some of these symptoms. Some examples:

Skin Rejuvenation techniques ranging from lasers to chemical peels, to ionization to microdermabrasion. You can read more about these here.
Hair Rejuvenation techniques like mesotherapy or PRP therapy. You can read about these here.
Anti-aging therapies range from non-invasive HIFU to injectable treatments like botox and fillers.

The last thing I would like to leave you with will sound funny but is an important thing that most individuals forget. It is about your relationship with stress.

If you keep paying attention to stress in your life, you end up becoming stressed about being stressed and enter a vicious circle from which there is no escape.

Hence it pays to find a level of acceptance of the things in your life and also of the fact that in this modern life there will always be stress, but this stress will be temporary and will pass.

Disclaimer:

The objective of this article is to educate the reader and help them make wiser choices under the guidance of a trained dermatologist. It is not meant to be used by patients for self-diagnosis or for avoiding proper medical treatment. The images used in the above blog are only for visual representation purposes. Actual procedures and results may vary from patient to patient.

About Dr. Sejal Saheta and InUrSkn:

Built on more than a decade of experience of Dr. Sejal Saheta, we are an honest and affordable skin and hair care clinic in Powai, Mumbai. Our goal is to make each patient comfortable and happy with their appearance with the least amount of intervention.

Dr. Sejal Saheta has dual degrees of MD and DNB in dermatology and venereology and has worked alongside some of the senior-most doctors at the largest hospitals in Mumbai.

Located in Powai, InUrSkn is the largest skin and hair clinic in the central suburbs of Mumbai and offers the latest technology in the safety of world-class infrastructure.

We are happy to be a part of your journey to reach your health goals. If you think we have been able to help you, please do review us:

On Practo: http://prac.to/vkpj

On Google: https://goo.gl/zHfACo

How can Dr. Sejal and InUrSkn help?

No matter what your skin and hair needs, Dr Sejal Saheta ensures personal attention to each patient and creates customized and scientifically-backed treatment plans for each patient. Through her years of experience and use of technology at her clinic (InUrSkn – Skin and Hair Clinic) located in Powai, Mumbai, she has been able to consistently deliver great results in the field of dermatology and trichology to thousands of patients.

All of the above is done with the best-in-class machines within the comfort and safety of world-class infrastructure.