Letters from a Dermatologist · Barrier
Why Stress Shows Up on Your Skin
You've had three late nights in a row and one big presentation, and right on cue, a breakout shows up around your chin. Most of us have been there. Bad luck? Not really. Stress breakouts are well documented.
Finals Week, on Your Face
In one study, researchers graded the breakouts of 22 college students twice: once during a calm stretch of the semester and once during exams. Breakouts got worse at exam time. The more stressed a student felt, the worse the flare-up. That link held up even after the researchers accounted for changes in sleep and diet.
So it's not just late-night snacks or long hours at work.
Your Skin Has Its Own Stress Switch
Stress doesn't only live in your head. Your body responds to stress with a series of hormones, and the best-known one is cortisol. Your skin is wired into that system.
In lab tests, oil-gland cells from human skin had receptors that respond to the body's stress signals. When researchers exposed the cells to one of those signals, the cells made more oil. Extra oil is one of several things that contribute to breakouts.
Skin can also activate cortisol locally. One study observed people exposed to stress. Those with more of the enzyme that activates cortisol had more cortisol in their skin's outer layer, and their skin was weaker and more sensitive.
Recovery Takes Longer
Your skin's outer layer is a thin shield that slows water loss. It picks up small scuffs over the course of a day, but it usually recovers on its own.
Stress can drag that process out. In one study, researchers gently pressed tape onto the skin of 27 students and peeled it off to lift a tiny bit of the top layer, then watched how the skin recovered. They did this twice: once in a calmer week and once during final exams. During exams, the students' skin took longer to recover. Students under the most stress had the longest delay. Once exams were over, recovery returned to normal.
Another study found the same delay in people after a stressful interview, and in people who had lost sleep.
By the Numbers
Two Things for a Busy Week
- Go easy on your skin. Press or pat products on instead of rubbing them in. Skin that's slow to recover doesn't need extra friction.
- Get one good night's sleep. If the whole week is packed, aim for one earlier bedtime.
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