Written by: Connie Zhang
If you’ve ever been neck-deep in work, the derived stress not only impacts your mental health but your skin health as well. Within an achievement context, work stress influences the quality of many people’s skin more than they may know. Luckily, understanding the reasons and taking basic steps could effectively lessen the negative effects of stress on your skin’s health.
In general, stress can negatively impact the skin by increasing inflammation, slowing down the healing of injuries, and triggering skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. In fact, stress majorly affects the way that one’s skin ages. Stress hormones break down collagen and elastin, which impedes the skin’s rejuvenation and speeds up aging by creating wrinkles. Basically, psychological stress is translated from the brain to the skin through a bidirectional pathway. As a result, inflammatory chemicals are produced, such as cortisol and other hormones. For instance, have you ever had a bad skin breakout while under high stress? Due to an increase in cortisol production, the skin’s oil glands are stimulated, which makes the skin more reactive and prone to acne.
Chronic stress in the workplace often takes a toll on the skin. Whereas acute stress may sometimes enhance one’s senses and mental clarity, chronic stress usually negatively affects skin health. It causes greater cortisol production, which exhausts the beneficial oils, water, and the microbiome on the skin barrier. Furthermore, the growth of bad bacteria in the microbiome causes it to be prone to infection and inflammation. Also, cortisol stimulates the overproduction of sebum, which is correlated with acne.
Certain environmental factors at work may heighten one’s stress levels and work anxiety. Because of this, it activates an inflammatory response that suppresses the immune system’s
ability to fight off infections and heal wounds. In addition, stress helps create internal free radicals that destroy cells. When they target DNA, it results in skin cancer, and when they target lipids, it results in skin barrier damage and acne. For the most part, high stress levels can weaken the immune system. Therefore, it exposes the body’s vulnerability to skin infections and diseases, not to mention dryness, discoloration, and scaling of the skin.
Depending on the work environment, sitting behind a screen at a desk or in a cubicle is pretty common for a lot of employees and students. Due to rising stress levels and workloads, staying seated indoors to work for long periods of time often lessens exposure to sunlight. The skin requires an adequate amount of Vitamin D to maintain the body’s health and functions. Although too much sunlight exposure can result in skin cancer, a lack of sunlight and Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing common cancers as well. Under the pressure of stress and deadlines of office work, sedentary actions for lengthy periods result in a dull complexion and negatively affect blood circulation, which turns the skin toxic from irregular oxygen levels. Constantly working and staring at a screen strains the vision, contributing to the development of wrinkles around the eyes.
With that said, it is fortunate that there is often a positive correlation in the relationship between a skin care routine and mental health. Regular skin pampering as self-care can help boost your mood and lower your stress as a break, before revisiting work with greater clarity. Personal outlets provide similar benefits in reducing stress from yoga and meditation to a beloved creative hobby. Skin-care and outlets contribute to better stress management by creating a balance between work and self-care.
As another tip, spending more hours of quality sleep helps minimize any dark circles under the eyes. In fact, taking in about ten minutes of sunlight midday assists in boosting skin elasticity and diminishing lines, acne, and dark spots. Having Vitamin D supplements on hand may also be of use. Furthermore, squeezing in some time for exercise, say for twenty minutes, keeps oxygen levels up and blood circulation flowing for healthier skin. Plus, lowering the brightness of a work screen exerts less pressure on the eyes and less strain on the skin.
The next time you have a tight work deadline to meet, remember that it could come at the cost of your skin, so a lot of these simple habits could help improve your skin health. After all, we often don’t notice the long lasting effect of work stress on our skin over time. As your workload and stress builds up, so does their impact on your skin health.
References:
“Feeling stressed? It can show in your skin, hair, and nails.” American Academy of Dermatology, 21 July 2022, https://www.aad.org/news/stress-shows-in-skin-hair-nails. Accessed September 2023.
Nathan, Neera. “Stress may be getting to your skin, but it’s not a one-way street.” Harvard Health, 14 April 2021,
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/stress-may-be-getting-to-your-skin-but-its-not-a-one -way-street-2021041422334. Accessed September 2023.
Marks, Hedy. “Stress Effects on Skin: Rash, Itching, Bumps, Breakouts, and More.” WebMD, 23 July 2023,
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/the-effects-of-stress-on-your-skin. Accessed September 2023.
DeFino, Jessica. “This Is Your Skin on Stress.” The New York Times, 8 December 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/fashion/this-is-your-skin-on-stress.html. Accessed September 2023.
“Stress and skin: Know how work anxiety can affect you.” Health Shots, 13 November 2022,
https://www.healthshots.com/mind/mental-health/stress-and-skin-know-how-work-anxiety -can-affect-you/. Accessed September 2023.
“Light Deprivation: What Happens if You don't Get enough Sunlight?” Carex Health Brands,
https://carex.com/blogs/resources/light-deprivation-what-happens-if-you-don-t-get-enoug h-sunlight. Accessed September 2023.
Migala, Jessica, and Allison Young. “5 Ways a Skin-Care Routine Benefits Mental Health.” Everyday Health, 21 March 2023,
https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-beauty/5-reasons-maintaining-a-skin-care-routine-i s-good-for-your-mental-health/. Accessed September 2023.
Disclaimer: This organization's content is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice. Content provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only. Please consult with a physician or other healthcare professional regarding any medical or health related diagnosis or treatment options. Information on this website should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional.
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