How stress affects your skin and what to do about it, according to experts – The Independent

We have all experienced stress in some form or another whether that is for a short, or extended, period of time. This emotional tension stems from unavoidable parts of everyday life, including work, family problems, financial woes and the digital pressures of social media.

While the anxiety that arises may originally occur in your brain, the consequences can play out physically. And no, we dont just mean tense shoulders and furrowed brows.

According to dermatologist Dr Anil Budh-Raja, daily stressors can also manifest in your skin, triggering or worsening a wide range of conditions such as acne, psoriasis, eczema and even hair thinning. Stress causes a change in brain and body chemistry and has a significant impact on our skin, Dr Budh-Raja explains, describing the process as the brain-skin connection.

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To understand how stress and anxiety can affect the skin, Dr Budh-Raja says we must first understand a little about the endocrine system.

The endocrine system is comprised of a number of glands that produce hormones and, when everything is in place, it allows the human body to work like a well-oiled machine. However when outside factors, such as stress, intervene this intricate system can slip out of sync.

During moments of tension the body produces excess cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone, which wreaks havoc on everything from your immune system to blood pressure. Stress increases cortisol production from the adrenal glands, which in turn increases sebaceous gland activity, to produce more oil and sebum, Dr Budh-Raja explains.

The result can be acne and increased sensitivity of our skin. Cortisol also weakens the skins immune system, leading to oxidative stress which manifests itself as wrinkles, lines and lacklustre skin.

It also increases inflammation on the body and conditions like eczema, rosacea and psoriasis can flare up.

Dr Sarah Coles, a chartered clinical psychologist, agrees, adding that the onset and consequences of stress can often form a vicious cycle.

Anxiety and/or stress, which can be caused by skin conditions such as eczema, in fact can exacerbate the condition due to the body's inflammatory responses such as producing cortisol or interrupting sleep, Coles says.

On Thursday, a series of photos titled How Do You C Me Now? were exhibited at the Oxo Tower Wharf in London to inspire the world to love the skin you are in

Brock Elbank/SWNS

The models featured in the photos, taken by London-based photographer Brock Elbank, live with a potentially life-threatening skin condition called congenital melanocytic naevus (CMN)

Brock Elbank/SWNS

According to the National Organisation of Rare Disorders (NORD), CMN are visible pigmented proliferations in the skin that are present at birth that can cover up to 80 per cent of the body. CMN are a known risk factor for melanoma - a type of cancer that develops from the pigment-containing cells

Brock Elbank/SWNS

CMN can be light brown to black patches or plaques, can present in variable ways, and cover nearly any size surface area or any part of the body, NORD states

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Small to medium CMN are predicted to occur in more than one in a 100 births while large and especially giant CMN (covering a a predicted diameter at adult age of at least 20 cm on the body) are estimated to present themselves in around 1 in 50,000 births

Brock Elbank/SWNS

The exhibition, which is being supported by UK CMN charity Caring Matters Now, has been presented throughout 30 different portraits and aims to challenge "conventional perceptions of beauty"

Brock Elbank/SWNS

A spokesperson from Caring Matters Now says: People with CMN often feel isolated due to the rarity of the condition and have to deal with negative comments because of their visible difference, resulting in low self-esteem"

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Several of the individuals photographed for the exhibition have never shown their birthmarks in public before.

Brock Elbank/SWNS

In a world where people work hard to stand out from the crowd, 'How Do You C Me Now?' aims to celebrate diversity and educate the public about this rare condition," a spokesperson from the charity added

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Admission to the exhibition is free and will run for 10 days before touring the world

Brock Elbank/SWNS

On Thursday, a series of photos titled How Do You C Me Now? were exhibited at the Oxo Tower Wharf in London to inspire the world to love the skin you are in

Brock Elbank/SWNS

The models featured in the photos, taken by London-based photographer Brock Elbank, live with a potentially life-threatening skin condition called congenital melanocytic naevus (CMN)

Brock Elbank/SWNS

According to the National Organisation of Rare Disorders (NORD), CMN are visible pigmented proliferations in the skin that are present at birth that can cover up to 80 per cent of the body. CMN are a known risk factor for melanoma - a type of cancer that develops from the pigment-containing cells

Brock Elbank/SWNS

CMN can be light brown to black patches or plaques, can present in variable ways, and cover nearly any size surface area or any part of the body, NORD states

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Small to medium CMN are predicted to occur in more than one in a 100 births while large and especially giant CMN (covering a a predicted diameter at adult age of at least 20 cm on the body) are estimated to present themselves in around 1 in 50,000 births

Brock Elbank/SWNS

The exhibition, which is being supported by UK CMN charity Caring Matters Now, has been presented throughout 30 different portraits and aims to challenge "conventional perceptions of beauty"

Brock Elbank/SWNS

A spokesperson from Caring Matters Now says: People with CMN often feel isolated due to the rarity of the condition and have to deal with negative comments because of their visible difference, resulting in low self-esteem"

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Several of the individuals photographed for the exhibition have never shown their birthmarks in public before.

Brock Elbank/SWNS

In a world where people work hard to stand out from the crowd, 'How Do You C Me Now?' aims to celebrate diversity and educate the public about this rare condition," a spokesperson from the charity added

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Admission to the exhibition is free and will run for 10 days before touring the world

Brock Elbank/SWNS

Stress can also make us less likely to engage in healthy habits for example we might work longer hours, eat less well, or drink more caffeine and alcohol.

When troubles are piling up, it can often feel like the worst time for pimples to populate your face, but they inevitably do. While it can be frustrating science says it makes perfect sense for stress to exhibit itself physically.

A 2015 study into the effects of stress as a causative or maintaining factor in psoriasis showed that about half of participants said their first experience with the disease came during a particularly difficult time in their lives, while 63 per cent said their symptoms worsened when they felt anxious or under pressure.

Similarly, a separate 2017 study of female medical students found that for 74 per cent of participants anxiety and stress were exacerbating factors of their acne.

Thankfully, experts suggest that much of the skin damage caused by stress can be mitigated by focusing on daily moments of self-care.

When it comes to looking after your skin during periods of extreme stress, Dr Adam Friedmann, a consultant dermatologist, recommends eating a healthy balanced diet, protecting the skin from UV rays using a high factor SPF and incorporating a moisturiser that contains anti-inflammatory ingredients into your skincare routine to help improve any redness, flaking or itching.

Dr Budh-Raja agrees, advising that anyone with stressed out skin invests in products that contain soothing ingredients such as aloe vera, chamomile, oatmeal, rosemary extract and niacinamide, which restores the surface of skin against moisture loss and dehydration.

While it is good to know that we can find remedies to help counteract the effects of anxiety on the beauty counter, Dr Coles says it is also important to address the root of the problem and to try and manage stress levels using alleviation techniques such as yoga and meditation.

There are lots of ways to manage stress in daily life, for example having a good sleep routine consisting of settling in a dark room with no bright screens an hour before bed and waking up at the same time each day, Coles says.

It is also important to have a good repertoire of coping strategies for managing stress that work for you. I like to think of this as having a menu to choose from as different strategies often help in different situations.

She continues: For some people this might be going for a long walk, spending some time outside, reading, talking with a friend, mediation, Yoga, or some other form of exercise, before explaining that it is important to remain in control of your fight-or-flight response.

It can also be helpful to think in advance about what helps you to feel better before you are feeling stressed as this can make it harder for us to think rationally about what might help us to feel better.

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How stress affects your skin and what to do about it, according to experts - The Independent