What are the harmful effects of stress on the skin? How can we beat it?
Our face is often the first part of the body to reveal signs of stress. This is because there are muscles on the face which controls facial expressions.
These muscles have attachments to the skin and allow them to tug and pull at the skin giving expressions of happiness, sorrow, anger, displeasure, anxiety and so on.
When we are feeling anxious or stressed, we will frown. The more we frown, the more likely frown lines are going to be etched permanently on our face when the skin becomes less elastic with age.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to avoid lines altogether unless we go around with an expressionless face. It might be better that we go about looking happy. At least in this way, we may end up with smile lines rather than frown lines! And don’t forget that it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown.
The effects of stress include hair loss, acne outbreak and many other medical problems. Some of these medical problems could be pretty serious.
The effects of stress on the face are:
Pale complexion due to adrenaline constricting the blood vessels
Deepening facial expression lines such as frowns
Pimple breakouts
Hives (urticaria)
Hair Loss
HOW TO BEAT STRESS AND REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE SKIN
Use the following steps to reduce the effects of stress on your skin.
Go to a quiet, empty room where you won’t be disturbed.
Draw the curtains/dim the lights. Adjust the fan/air-conditioning to suit you.
Put on soothing music that you like.
Lie down and progressing systematically from head to toe, first tense the muscles of a part of your body and then relax them slowly bit-by-bit until they are completely slack and heavy. You can tense the muscles (followed by relaxation) in the following order:
Tense your facial muscles – close your eyes tightly and clench your teeth
Tense your shoulder muscles – tense your neck muscles and shrug your shoulders
Tense the arm muscles, one side at a time – flex your biceps and clench your fist
Tighten the abdominal muscles and lift buttocks from the floor
Tighten thigh muscles with knees straight (one leg at a time)
Bend your foot backwards as much as possible (one foot at a time)
Concentrate on what you are doing, sense the difference between the tensed muscles and the totally relaxed muscles of each part of the body, before moving to the next part. Take slow regular deep breaths at your normal resting rhythm all the time.
We are constantly updating our website. Subscribe to our e-zine and keep up to date with latest skin care tips. Don’t miss out on the latest news in skin care.
The form below has been specially provided for you. Just fill it up and you will receive our next publication.
We respect your privacy and strive to earn your trust and respect. The email address that you have given to us is kept confidential. We do not reveal or sell your personal information to any third parties.
Are you are new to a particular skin care product? Always buy a small quantity to try out and test it on a small patch of skin first. A particular brand may work wonders for your best friend, but have a different result with your skin. Different people may have different reactions to different products.
