Let's say you are prone to eczema. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, feeling burdened by a difficult work project or a bill you struggle to pay is a possible trigger that can lead to dry, itchy skin and noticeable patches of inflammation all over your skin. the body The same goes for psoriasis, an autoimmune disease often characterized by scaly, itchy skin patches, as well as rosacea, which can cause the skin on the face to become red and hot and painful to the touch. 3.4 Acne sufferers must have experienced the frustration of "stress". (Stress can lead to high levels of cortisol in the body, also known as the stress hormone; this can increase sebum production in the skin and eventually lead to breakouts. 5 )
Some conditions that affect the scalp are also related to stress, such as seborrheic dermatitis (which often manifests as patches of oily, inflamed skin and dandruff) and telogen effluvium (a condition in which hair falls out excessively due to " extreme and unusual stress" ).) "Stress and pro-inflammatory chemicals cause hair to transition from the growth phase to the shedding phase," says Ariel Nagler, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at NYU Langone Health. 6
Finally, it's important to mention mental health issues that affect how we treat our skin and hair, such as dermatolomania (also known as skin picking disorder) or trichotillomania (also known as hair picking disorder). Shannon Bennett, PhD, a psychotherapist at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, describes them as emotion regulation conditions that typically worsen when a person experiences extreme stress. Because emotionally pulling or collecting can be a way of trying to deal with difficult emotions, adding a layer of stress to the mix can cause a person to engage in these behaviors even more. Of course, it can affect their physical and mental health, Dr. Bennett says, from skin infections to shame and guilt. 7.8
That doesn't mean stress will directly cause these conditions if you don't have them, but it can make them harder to manage, according to experts SELF spoke to.
Even if you don't have an illness, dealing with higher-than-normal stress for long periods of time can make your immune system extremely irritable 9 , meaning that things that wouldn't normally irritate your skin can suddenly do so. I feel strange, Farid explained. It seems like you've had a rough week and someone cuts you off in traffic because you're late for work. You are more likely to discover a web of profanity than the same thing to happen on a quiet week. "We use this concept for the immune system. When your immune system is in a good mood, whatever. When it's not, [stress] can cause your skin to behave poorly," explains Dr. Friday
How you handle stress also plays a role in how your skin looks and feels.
If touching yourself or your face is one of your anxiety-provoking habits, and you always explode or collapse when you're stressed, it may be less about your immune system and more about what's on your hands. . Set it in your immune system. Face (bacteria, dirt and other gross things that your skin doesn't like very much). “Acne has a lot to do with touching people's faces,” says Dr. Nagler. “I talk about it with my patients all the time.” ten