5 Ways Stress Can Affect Your Skin.

What causes stress? Let’s count the possibilities - the current pandemic situation, unrealistic expectations on the internet, family, relationships, work or lack of satisfaction with your current situation. 3 out of 4 individuals suffer from stress or anxiety.

While stress can affect your health it can also affect your skin and hair. It can cause cluster headaches, dark circles & early ageing. Too much stress can lead to dry skin, breakouts, eczema, faster ageing, and hair fall.

Here are 5 ways stress can affect your skin.

1.Early Ageing

Stress can cause you to age early! This causes the protective layer of your skin to be easily damaged by UV rays, pollution, and smoke. As a result, your skin loses shape (collagen), moisture & hydration making it look dull and wrinkled. To reduce early ageing skin symptoms always wear SPF, take collagen supplements, apply serums containing hyaluronic acid and hydrate your skin daily to slow down ageing and nourish your skin.

• Doyenne retinol +Hyalrounic acid serum
• Superberry + pro vit B3 serum
• Solar defence SPF 50

2.Hormonal Acne

As the body responds to stress by over-producing hormones like cortisol, making the skin oily and more prone to acne, whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. You could use a cleanser containing salicylic acid, tea tree oil, and glycolic acid as these ingredients strip excessive oil from the layers of your skin, which keeps the skin healthy and glowing. 

• Salicylic Acid Daily Cleanser 
• Skinclear Elixir

 3.Dryness and irritation

For some stress can also lead to dry skin, open pores as it slows down the production of natural oils, making the skin dull, dry, wrinkled, and dehydrated, make sure you moisturise your skin twice a day. Apply nourishing and hydrating creams and use gentle cleansers that moisturise your skin, like :

• Cera ve moisturiser 
• Forte Moisturiser
• Awake recharge face cleanser 

4. Trouble sleeping

It is hard to get quality sleep when your mind is not calm and you are stressed. Not getting enough sleep can affect your productivity as well as your skin, lack of sleep can result in dark circles, puffy eyes & cluster headaches. Try practising mediation or indulge yourself in some self-care activities you like and try to calm your mind before sleeping.

• Eye cream with revital eyes
• Doyenne retinol +Hyalrounic acid serum
• Rosehip face oil 

5. Inflammation & Sensitive skin 

Stress can damage your skin barrier. This can make your skin more vulnerable to damage from UV rays and pollutants making the skin very dry and prone to skin conditions like eczema, very dry and flaky skin and psoriasis. That is why it is important to apply  SPF before stepping out in the sun. Use hydrating products like:

   SPF’s

• Black Girl sunscreen SPF30
• Solar defence mineral SPF50

 For Eczema 

• Eczema relief kit 

For Face:

• Tropics Moisturiser
• Cera Ve Gentle cleanser
•  Soothing aloe and avocado cleanser

For Body:

• Shrew luxurious body wash 
• Rendevous luxurious body cream 
• Jasmine + Neroli body oil

Stress is a natural part of life. The question is are you managing stress correctly or is stress consuming you? The key is to stop stress before it stops you.
The best way to manage your stress is to learn healthy coping strategies. Doing so will not only put you in a positive mood, but it will also keep your skin radiant and healthy. Don’t let the stress get under your skin!