Can Stress Visibly Age Your Skin?

Aging. It’s inevitable and scary. We all want to look young forever, and that’s why, in part, we brought you guys three anti-aging serums. 

Wrinkles form when your skin's connective tissues (collagen and elastin) break down. This happens naturally over time, which is why wrinkles tend to form as we age. Once you turn 20, your skin begins to produce 1% less collagen every year!! If that wasn’t bad enough, elastin production also decreases with age. We all know that wrinkles are further impacted by things like genetics, sun exposure and smoking. I was recently made known of another factor that is capable of speeding up the aging process on the skin -- stress. 

Stress is a normal human condition. Almost everyone has experienced immense stress at some point in their lives. Chronic stress isn’t just a mental state though. It can affect your entire body. Usually, in regards to skin care, you hear the words “stress” and “acne” go hand-in-hand. When you feel stressed, your body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. An increase in cortisol levels causes an increase in oil production, resulting in acne breakouts and clogged pores. ON TOP OF THIS… high cortisol levels break down the skin's collagen and elastin (the connective tissues that when broken down, cause wrinkles to form)!! 

Increased stress levels also impact the bacteria in your gut, causing increased inflammation. Studies have shown that inflammation causes accelerated skin aging as it impairs the skin’s ability to repair itself. Chronic stress also leads to insulin resistance, thus causing higher blood sugar levels. This process also diminishes the skin’s elastin. So essentially, we all need to chill out… immediately. I know that’s easier said than done, so we’re here to tell you ways we destress.

Taking just 15 minutes out of your day to do a mindfulness meditation, some yoga, or reflective journaling can help you destress! This not only saves you from feeling overwhelmed and anxious, but also helps save your skin. Apps like Headspace and Calm are great for guided meditation and relaxation. YouTube and Spotify also feature tons of great free meditations and yoga flows to check out! Some of my favorite yoga YouTubers are Yoga with Adriene and Jessica Richburg. Check them out to get your inner yogi flowing! We’ve compiled some of our fav relaxing frequencies, songs, and meditations into a Spotify playlist for you all here. Get that zen vibe going and feel yourself fully relax! Finish off your meditation with one of our serums to tie it all together. Could you imagine a better way to destress? We don’t think so.