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How Stress and Anxiety Affect Your Skin

If an individual is experiencing stress and anxiety, his blood will tend to flow more on the areas of the body that are used to respond to the situation.  In turn, the skin becomes deprived of enough supply of blood and oxygen.  Therefore prolonged exposure to stress and anxiety also means prolonged deprivation of the skin from enough blood and oxygen it needs.

As a result, the person will have dry and lifeless looking skin. However, this is not the only effect of stress and anxiety on the person’s skin.  Read further to find to find out more on how stress and anxiety affect the skin.

The immune system becomes weak.

Besides making the skin look dry and pale, stress and anxiety can cause the increase of cortisone secretion which adversely affects the immune system.  As the level of immune system gets lowered, the skin will then become vulnerable to several pollutants in the environment.

The digestive system cannot function well.

Stress and anxiety not only affects the person’s immune system. It can also have negative effects in the process of digestion. The digestive system cannot function well if the person eats while he feels stressed out and anxious. Unfortunately, the food plays a crucial role in keeping all the organs of our body healthy.

However, if the digestive system is being affected by stress and anxiety the skin will gradually become deprived of those essential nutrients from the food. And, just like a domino effect, poor digestion leads to nutrient deprivation.

Constant nutrient deprivation will then lead to poor immune system.  Unfortunately, what happens inconspicuously inside the body will sooner or later become obvious. Poor immune system now manifests in the form of acne, skin itching and other skin diseases.

Hives and tiny bumps on the skin may appear.

The body’s histamines will be released into the bloodstream once the person is exposed to stress and anxiety.  This is the reason why those hives and tiny bumps appear on the skin. There are also cases when hives are not obvious but the person’s skin will definitely feel so itchy. In such cases taking anti-histamines is highly recommended.

Other skin problems may also exist.

Acne is also another skin condition caused by constant exposure to stress and anxiety. When an individual is battling against stress and anxiety the body will tend to unleash those chemicals that further stimulate the oil glands of the skin.

This will then lead to the production of excessive oil that will clog the skin pores.  When this occurs, the skin becomes irritated and acne will start making its unwelcoming presence on your face and other parts of the body.  These skin problems may occur only for temporary period.

However, this “temporary” period would sometimes mean a very long period of time.  Hopefully, these skin irritations will not appear long enough to wreak a lifetime of havoc on the person’s self-esteem and confidence.

Some words from Dr. Flor A. Mayoral

Dermatologist Flor A. Mayoral made a statement at the American Academy of Dermatology that stress and anxiety can aggravate several skin conditions.  She also added that acne, rosacea and other skin problems can cause the individual to unexpectedly flare-up which makes the situation even more stressful.

Dr. Mayoral gave further advice that people need to find ways to better manage their stress and anxiety.  Otherwise, the skin and the overall health of an individual becomes at risk.

Revelations from previous dermatological studies

Moreover, a study which was revealed in the Archives of Dermatology proved what many dermatologists have believed for so many years. The said study proved that psychological stress can indeed affect the normal functioning of the skin in so many ways.

Those people who have pre-existing skin diseases will tend to experience a worsening of their skin problem when stress and anxiety hit them.  On the other hand, those who do not have skin diseases will most likely to have it when stress and anxiety is left untreated.

Guest post by Ryan Rivera

About the Author: Ryan Rivera used to suffer from anxiety attacks for seven years.  He now advocates healthy living as the best weapon against anxiety and stress.  You can read more of his writings at Calm Clinic.