by Philipp Roth

Stress and skin: how does the psyche affect our appearance?

It's not just Christmas that is stressful: stress factors await us ...
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It's not just Christmas that is stressful: stress factors await us all year round. And our skin that suffers. We explain to you how psyche and skin are related and tell you what you can do for yourself and your skin. 

If you are now expecting an article that comes along with platitudes like 

  • The skin is a reflection of the soul
  • Our skin is our second self
  • It is more than just a shell
  • Stress that gets under your skin
  • Or any other blah blah blah

… then we recommend magazines like the Apotheken Umschau.

But we want to take you with us for a little mental game.

Introduce yourself:

One day before Christmas Eve, you have worked hard all year round and on the last few meters before the big break you realize that you have forgotten the promised roast for a big dinner. What is happening with you 

You have sweat on your forehead. Your throat is reddening. You get spots on your neck. And all of a sudden a stress pimple sticks next to your nose as if out of nowhere.

Not only our own experience, but also scientific studies show:

Our skin reacts to stressful situations

The explanation of the medical professionals for psychosomatics and psychotherapy explain that the skin and the central nervous system have the same development history. They form the same systems in humans.

This is also shown by studies: These show that 30 to 60 percent of skin diseases are related to psychological reasons.

These are psychosomatic dermatoses, i.e. skin diseases that are somatic but are psychologically influenced. These include neurodermatitis, psoriasis, acne, herpes, contact eczema and hives.t. 

But let's not get to wrong conclusions. Two important things in advance:

  1. Just because you have one more pimple doesn't mean there is a deep psychological problem.
  2. A skin disease and not every skin problem has to have a psychological basis.

Acne can it does not have to be a consequence of stress. As you know or can imagine, skin health and psyche are complex issues and depend on your diet, your daily exercise, environmental influences, yoursm drug consumption and much, much more.

How does our psyche affect skin health? 

As I said: our skin and our central nervous system have a lot in common because they come from the same cell tissue.

Hormonal changes, especially stress hormones, have a stronger effect on the skin for this reason. The messenger substances ensure, for example, that important vessels constrict and thus the skin cells are poorly supplied with food. As a result, the skin lacks essential nutrients and is more prone to damage.

Research has also found that stress hormones can lead to more inflammation, which can lead to itching and rashes.

Another factor: when we're nervous, we tend to touch and scratch our face. As a result, we distribute fundamentally more bacteria on our skin and promote further skin damage.

In addition to the psychosomatic dermatoses mentioned above, the following skin problems can be the result of psychological stress:

So what can you do to protect yourself and your health? 

How you can bring skin and psyche into harmony

The rule is: a healthy psyche favors healthy skin. And we are almost at the end of our game, because now you know best:

How healthy do you feel? Which situations cause you stress, fear, anger or grief? Which of these situations you want and can reducen? 

But also:

What helps you to relax? Is it the sporty balance, going to the sauna or simply walking the dog What can you do to enjoy these beautiful moments?n? 

There are countless ways to relax. Even apps can help you with this.Headspace is one of them that we personally like to use and that can be tried out quickly.

However, if you really do not feel comfortable in your skin and by that we mean both: psyche and skin and the situation seems to be more serious to you, then we have a request. Namely: Talk to doctors about it and get help.n. 

To compensate for possible skin symptoms caused by normal stress, we recommend the following:

The anti-stress care program for your skin in two steps

Daily skin care is important so that you can feel good. A good skin feeling and a radiant appearance contribute significantly to your own self-confidence. This way you get through the week in a good mood and minimize the risk of stress-related skin problems.

The good thing about the care program: It's absurdly simple.

  1. Cleanse your skin deep into the pores: Use a mild washing lotion and lukewarm water to wash impurities from your face. Use one good facial cleanser for demanding skinthat provides them with valuable nutrients that they need particularly under the influence of stress.
  2. Give your skin extra care: With a well-formulated moisturizer, you can give your skin the moisture it needs in stressful times. In this way you are not only fighting against wrinkles: ContainsYour skin care cream Vitamin C and zinc, puts you down on pimples and acne.

Give yourself and your skin the attention it deserves

You only have one life and one skin. Make the most of it: Enjoy both!

#staysober

Philip

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