Stress SkinStress Pimples
Stress
Pimples
Stress is part of everyday life and can arise due to events beyond our control. It affects our entire body, from hair, nails and skin to our internal organs. It's important that we recognize stress symptoms and learn to manage them if we want to stay healthy.
Stress triggers chemical reactions in the body that can manifest as changes in our skin. Symptoms of stressed skin include the skin becoming more sensitive and reactive to situations. This is due to the "fight or flight" state that stress causes. When our body is under stress, it also has a harder time recovering from injuries or problems.
When we are under stress, the body produces more of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that acts as the body's alarm system and triggers the "fight or flight" state. One of cortisol's effects is that it causes the skin to produce more sebum, resulting in more oily skin. Oily skin is more prone to developing acne and other skin conditions - so the more stress, the more likely you are to get pimples and similar blemishes.
Symptoms of
STRESSED SKIN
- Dark circles under the eyes
Stress can make you feel more tired than usual. It's likely that you're not getting enough sleep if you're under a lot of stress, as stress disrupts our sleep rhythm. To reduce dark circles under the eyes, we recommend NIVEA Q10 Power Firming Eye Cream.
- Stress acne
Since stress makes our skin more oily, it increases the likelihood of developing acne, adult acne, and stress pimples. If you want to keep oily skin under control, try cleansing it with our Purify Rice Scrub and then moisturize it with the Mattifying Day Cream.
- Dry skin
Our skin becomes more sensitive when we are stressed, so it's normal for the skin to become more dry. When we are stressed, we often forget to drink enough water to stay hydrated. Instead, our coffee intake increases, which has a dehydrating effect. If you find that your skin seems drier, try NIVEA Essentials 24H Moisture Boost Nourish Day Cream to care for your face and our NIVEA Creme Care Shower together with Express Hydration Body Lotion to give your body a moisture boost.
- Stress lines
Being under constant pressure and stress can be seen in our facial expressions. If we constantly feel tense, we tend to furrow our brows and squint our eyes more. Constant facial contraction can over time lead to deep wrinkles and stress lines.
- Thin and gray hairStress accelerates the hair's life cycle, which means it will tend to fall out faster than normal. Additionally, stress can stop the production of melanin in the hair, causing it to gray earlier.
Stress and
SWEAT
Sweat is your body's natural cooling response to a rising body temperature. A side effect of stress is that it can make you sweat a lot and raise your body temperature. But stress-related sweat is different from normal sweat and often causes an unpleasant body odor.
Stress-related sweat comes mainly from the apocrine glands rather than the eccrine glands (which are your primary sweat glands). The apocrine glands are much larger than other sweat glands and are found in large amounts in areas with body hair - such as the armpits and around the genitals. The amount of sweat from the underarms is 30 times greater under stress than when you are resting.
Sweat secreted from the apocrine glands tends to contain more proteins and lipids. When these proteins and lipids are broken down by the bacteria in the skin, they are more likely to emit body odor. Using NIVEA Dry Comfort Deodorant Roll On will protect you from stress-related sweat for up to 48 hours and give you a refreshing boost.
