BEWARE OF STRESS, THE INVISIBLE ENEMY THAT AGES YOUR SKIN
Super busy, lots of things to take care of through the day, always in a hurry and chasing time in your job, to manage home, your family and, maybe, spare some time for meeting up with friends for a drink – this is life for the average woman. We might get used to a hectic pace in life, yet we need to be careful of the stress that comes with it, and stress speeds up skin ageing. Women are the most affected by stress, with early ageing signs showing on skin.
THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON SKIN
Allowing stress to take over our life will show! Not only in our behaviour, but also in the skin of our face. Stress, especially if chronic, has been shown to trigger early skin ageing.br>
In fact, stress is one of the factors, together with nutrition, lack of sleep, smoking, sun exposure and pollution, that forms the so-called skin exposome, the set of factors that are responsible for skin ageing to a major extent. The exposome causes the ageing process to speed up, leading to premature ageing signs showing on skin: dry skin, a dull tone, loss of firmness, rapid deepening of wrinkles.
Obviously enough, preventing the problem and even reversing it is possible, with the main allies to achieve the result being a correct diet and a healthy lifestyle, accompanied by regular physical activity. Also important is to try to reduce chronic stress and adopt a skin care routine that includes treatments designed to counter the effects stress has on skin.
In fact, stress is one of the factors, together with nutrition, lack of sleep, smoking, sun exposure and pollution, that forms the so-called skin exposome, the set of factors that are responsible for skin ageing to a major extent. The exposome causes the ageing process to speed up, leading to premature ageing signs showing on skin: dry skin, a dull tone, loss of firmness, rapid deepening of wrinkles.
Obviously enough, preventing the problem and even reversing it is possible, with the main allies to achieve the result being a correct diet and a healthy lifestyle, accompanied by regular physical activity. Also important is to try to reduce chronic stress and adopt a skin care routine that includes treatments designed to counter the effects stress has on skin.
STRESS AND SKIN AGEING: A PROVEN RELATIONSHIP
Psychological stress is triggered when a person suffers
mental pressure, be it for physical or emotional causes. The more the pressure exceeds the individual’s ability to adapt to the stressor, the more intense the stress will be perceived. At brain level, this translates into the release of hormones, especially cortisol, which trigger a number of
physiological and behavioral
changes to adapt our body to the new situation and attempt to maintain homeostasis.
In addition to psychological stress, a major role in showing early skin ageing is played by oxidative stress, a condition of imbalance between antioxidant defences and excessive oxygen free radicals. The latter are normally managed directly by cells, through an important and sophisticated antioxidant system that effectively compensates for their excess. However, this defence system slows down with age and, progressively, will no longer be able to balance the overproduction of free radicals in skin, with these reactive species spreading into skin and causing damage and changes to skin cells.
In addition to psychological stress, a major role in showing early skin ageing is played by oxidative stress, a condition of imbalance between antioxidant defences and excessive oxygen free radicals. The latter are normally managed directly by cells, through an important and sophisticated antioxidant system that effectively compensates for their excess. However, this defence system slows down with age and, progressively, will no longer be able to balance the overproduction of free radicals in skin, with these reactive species spreading into skin and causing damage and changes to skin cells.
