​Holiday Glow or Holiday Woe? Strategies for Stress-Related Skin Care

The holidays – that period that seems to begin earlier and earlier every year. It’s a time that can bring just as much stress to our lives as it does cheer.

From navigating family relationships to juggling parties, dinners, and other festivities, travel, and the tricky cold-and-flu season, this time of year can ramp up your stress level and take its toll on your mental and physical health.

Can stress cause skin rash, dry or itchy skin?

Negative stress can impact your skin and overall appearance. It can also cause headaches, pain or tension in your muscles, fatigue, stomach upset, sleep disturbances, even changes in bowel habits.

Our body's endocrine system releases adrenaline and “the stress hormone,” cortisol. In small amounts, as a response to a short-term trigger, cortisol does its job and then leaves the body. However, in periods of prolonged stress (such as the ever-lengthening holiday season), cortisol continues to get released and starts to wreak havoc on your body. It causes chain reactions that start with inflammation.

What is Stress?

Stress is a normal human reaction of your body’s autonomic nervous system to a physical or mental stimulus in your environment. Our stress response affects nearly everybody's system – cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, and digestive.

There are two types of stress: positive and negative. Positive stress helps us in daily life, from avoiding everyday dangers to keeping us alert before a big presentation. But most of us think of negative stress when we hear the word, “stress,” which is the feeling of being overwhelmed, anxious, or worried because of a situation.

Stress, Inflammation, and Your Skin

Stress can cause inflammation in the body. When skin becomes inflamed, its natural defenses can weaken throughout all its layers.

Outer layers: The outer layer, called the epidermis, normally keeps germs out, but when it’s damaged, viruses and bacteria can sneak in more easily. This isn’t ideal during cold and flu season, when we’re sharing hugs, handshakes, and snuggles.

Middle layers: Inflammation in the middle layer, the dermis, can slow down healing and dry out your skin, sometimes making it look wrinkly or “crêpey.”

Deep layers: Long-term stress can change how fat is stored deeper in the skin, leading to areas that look sunken or, in some cases, have extra fullness, like under the chin. If all that isn’t troublesome enough, stress has a few other terrible gift ideas for your skin:

• Ramping up sebum production causes clogged pores, blackheads, and breakouts.
• Eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea flare-ups, or even rashes and hives.
• Dry, itchy skin or, in especially vulnerable areas like your hands, cracking and bleeding.
• Reducing the production of collagen and elastin, or faster breakdown of these vital proteins.
  
  

If you are acne-prone and noticing signs of breakouts, look for ingredients that will help with sebum production like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and oil-free moisturizer & makeup.

If your skin is dry, irritated, and sensitive, think about ramping up your hydration routine by layering products. Start with a lightweight hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid and then apply a thicker lipid-based moisturizer on top to lock in the moisture.

• Get your flu shot! Although this won’t prevent wrinkles or fine lines, it can help support your immune system when your skin barrier is compromised.

• Find stress reduction techniques that work for you. This could be anything from a long walk outside to a good book with a cup of tea, to journaling, yoga, meditation, or cheesy holiday movies. Find what brings you back to a grounded state and incorporate it into your routine. Just remember that hot baths, although relaxing, can be drying for the skin.

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