Is your skin looking dull, patchy, or more red than usual? Are breakouts becoming commonplace? As we experience peaks of anxiety and fear these days, our skin is one of the first targets of a stress response. The “brain-skin” connection has long been documented with substantial empirical evidence, and as the skin is the largest organ of the body, it plays a critical role in barrier and immune functions.
The bottom line: stress causes our body to release hormones like cortisol, which affect all systems, but when we’re talking about skin, it impacts the permeability barrier function (skin barrier) and homeostasis, making you more susceptible to conditions like dryness, redness, or breakouts. It can even exacerbate skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, or rosacea.
Tried and tested skincare products might even cause a flare-up or irritation when your barrier function is impaired. It all depends on how this protective layer has been affected.
So, here are some tips on how you can help improve skin health:
Simplify your skincare regimen
Strip down your regimen so you can decrease the probability of irritation. Instead of following a multi-step regimen, just stick to the essentials. What are the few products you can’t absolutely live without? Start there and make sure you include a sunscreen. That’s a non-negotiable.
Use skincare replete with antioxidants
Antioxidants are something you should always emphasize in your skincare regimen because they provide rich micro-nutrient support to your skin, and help neutralize free radicals and fight inflammation in the process. During times like these, why not double up on these free-radical-fighting superstars.
Many of our SMD skincare formulations contain a potent and highly purified form of Green Tea Polyphenols. Products such as our Super 3 Antioxidant Cream and Age Defy Restorative Creams contain high levels of these polyphenols so they can be considered therapeutic and help effect positive changes in the dermis. These creams are must-haves to help soothe and calm skin, as well as reduce inflammation. And they are safe for all skin types.
Minimize exfoliation at home
We are seeing a lot of self-inflicted damage from the overuse of chemical exfoliants such as Glycolic acid and Salycylic acid at home, in the forms of masks or peels, as patients are trying to compensate for missed treatments in the clinic. Exfoliation should be done sparingly and 2-3 times a week at the most, for the majority of patients.
We recommend using our Smoothing Polish – an exfoliating cleanser in the form of a scrub with gentle biodegradable micro-beads made of plant fiber, Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid, and Green Tea Polyphenols, to help increase cell turnover and alleviate congestion, while soothing and protecting skin.
Use beauty tools to help improve circulation
Good circulation is imperative to healthy skin, as it brings oxygen and nutrients to areas where it’s needed the most. Using beauty tools like Gua Sha or micro-current devices (think NuFACE) are great ways to get things moving around in your skin. Plus, they may be effective in helping tone, lift, and de-puff the face.
We personally love this “Kwansha” Ayurvedic beauty tool by Purearth. It’s similar to the Gua Sha tool, but is made of 80% copper, as opposed to crystal. What’s unique about this tool is the biochemistry of the material – it’s reported to draw out toxins from your skin.
Caution: if you have inflamed skin, such as acne or rosacea, avoid using these tools.
Prioritize sleep, exercise, and breathing.
We all value beauty sleep, but we advise making this a priority if you can. Our bodies could use all the help it can get to repair our internal systems, and that includes organs like our skin.
Exercise, as we all know, helps manage our body’s levels of cortisol, so it’s important to make this a regular part of your daily routine. Breathing techniques, like pranayama, which works directly on the nervous system, also helps reduce stress and brings our body back to homeostasis.
Cut down on the alcohol and coffee as these are forms of diuretics that lead to dehydration. Stress and dehydration is a detrimental combination – especially for your skin.
Written by Maya
References:
Chen, Ying; Lyga, John. “Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging.” Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2014 Jun; 13(3): 177–190. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082169/. Accessed April 21, 2020.