During uncertain, sometimes frantic times, physicians get busy caring for patients who come in with stress-related skin problems. Pimples appear out of nowhere, dry skin in desperate need of hydration appears overnight, folds around the nose and deep lines in the brow and around the eyes become more pronounced. If you had problems with your skin before, stress just makes it worse. Patients notice it too, and frequently report differences in their skin when they’re stressed out. If you don’t take some time to address these issues, they can persist for weeks and months, even years.
Our bodies are reacting to external challenges. Stress creates an adrenaline surge that elevates the level of a hormone called cortisol in the blood. Cortisol tells fat cells to dump sugar into the bloodstream for energy – which is great if you need to outrun a raging elephant but not so great on your body or your skin. Over time stress can damage your body in ways that are not so attractive when we examine ourselves in the mirror. In addition, we rarely do our bodies or our skin any favors during hard times. As a matter of fact, that is when we sleep less, drink more and eat all the wrong foods.
While all these issues can be resolved, first you have to de-stress. Until that time comes, here are 5 professional tips on how to get by: