In today’s fast and busy life, getting stressed out has become an unavoidable part of our lives. With work deadlines to personal responsibilities, we often find ourselves juggling between the various stressors. Stress takes a toll on our mental and emotional health. It causes a great impact on our physical well being, including the skin as well but it is always ignored. Stress can cause a lot of skin issues and can particularly disturb the skin barrier. To stop this from happening, Let us discuss the impact of stress on the skin and various ways to manage the stress from disrupting the skin barrier.

The impact of stress:

When we experience stress, our body releases hormones that can adversely affect our skin and cause various skin issues. Some of the major issues are discussed below-

1. Increased inflammation: Stress can trigger the inflammation in our body, resulting in skin redness, irritation and skin sensitivity. Increased inflammation also disrupts the skin barrier making it more open to skin allergies.

2. Skin aging: When we take stress, Cortisol, a primary stress hormone, is released which is responsible for breaking down the collagen and elastin from our skin. This results in loosening of the skin which leads to signs of premature aging like fine lines and wrinkles.

3. Impaired skin healing: Stress decreased the skin ability to repair itself. Wounds and various skin blemishes take longer to heal on their own.

4. Inappropriate oil production: Taking stress also hampers the production of skin's natural oil. Increased production of sebum production can lead to acne breakouts and skin issues like Acne and Eczema.

While eliminating stress is quite a difficult thing to do, we can still assure a few practices that might decrease its impact on the skin. Here are some strategies to manage stress and maintain a healthy skin barrier:

One should always follow a few relaxation practices when stressed. Following simple exercises like deep breathing, meditation, yoga etc, can reduce stress levels and maintain peace and calm.

Exercising might seem like an extra activity but it really does wonders to control the stress level. Engage in regular physical activity like running, cycling, gymming, sports, walking etc. This helps in increasing the blood circulation and also increases the endorphins in your body. Endorphins are the happy hormones that are released which makes you feel happy and stress free. Exercising regularly results in healthy and radiant skin complexion.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational purposes only. It should not be substituted as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment in any manner.