Skin Care | Stress Rash
In many ways, we’ve become so accustomed to stress that we often diagnose ourselves with stress related conditions, such as having a “stress headache.” We’ve also heard that we must manage our stress in order to help our blood pressure, and improve other conditions which are impacted by the body’s overstimulated stress response. We know that stress wreaks havoc on our hidden organs, but we often don’t think about how stress impacts our largest organ, our skin. So if you want to know how to improve your skin’s health with a proper skin care routine, then you definitely want to find ways to manage your stress.
Stress & Skin
We don’t want to give stress a completely bad name. After all, stress can be motivating. But we tend to focus on stressors that can really make a mess of our physical health, if left unchecked. Situations, circumstances, and people in our lives can all put pressure on us, and the mind-body connection ensures that the body perceives these pressures as a threat. So, the body does what it does best, and it provokes the instinct to flee the threat. How? It does this by producing cortisol, whether you need it or not.
The body is a complex organism of chemical reactions, so suffice it to say that there is too much of a good thing when it comes to cortisol. Not only does excessive cortisol hinder the healing process, it creates inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of nearly all illness and disease. Since the skin is the body’s largest organ, it is not impervious to your internal stress. Some skin conditions which can be caused by stress, or worsened by it, include skin rash (AKA: hives), acne breakouts, eczema, and psoriasis. So if you’re wondering what to add to your skin care routine to help treat that breakout, then you’ll want to keep reading.
Skin Care Stress Techniques
Often we seek out topical treatments, or even ingestible treatments, to help us manage a stress induced skin rash or other breakout. While these treatments are excellent to treat the itchy symptoms, they don’t get to the cause of the problem. If your body is having an inflammatory response that is causing any part of your body to react with conditions such as acne breakouts or psoriasis, you will want to check-in with yourself and the amount of stress you’re under.
Stress management techniques don’t have to be elaborate. You can simply set aside 10 minutes to just look out across a park, or maybe just find a place where you won’t be interrupted for a few minutes so you can take a few, slow deep breaths. But all too often people just put their head down and “do what they have to do” to get through their day. Our society tends to revere people who set themselves aside and muscle through. However, there is an ethical and physical need for self care. If you find it difficult to make time to take a walk or even spend a few minutes stretching, then you may want to ask a friend to help you gain some perspective. If none of this works, there are a variety of therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which are excellent resources to learn how to best manage stress and refine your approach to life.
Your Overall Wellness
We realize that stress reduction techniques aren’t going to treat the acute symptoms of a skin rash or acne breakout, but reducing stress can help calm the body’s cortisol production and help prevent future outbreaks. Think of stress management as part of your skin care management. The bonus is, managing your stress to help calm your body’s production of cortisol will not only help your skin, but also your circulatory system, digestive system, mental health, and more. In a way, having a skin rash may actually be showing you that it’s time for self care. But we don’t want to see you wait that long. Start managing your stress in little ways throughout the day, and you will see the results when you look in the mirror.
Skin Bar MedSpa
If you are looking for ways to maximize your skin care routine, we highly recommend that you begin by working to manage your stress. From there, Skin Bar MedSpa in Westminster, Colorado can help with the rest. With a variety of treatments that can help you reduce acne breakouts, as well as aid in other skin conditions, Skin Bar MedSpa can become an integral part of your skin care routine. We can also help you deal with conditions which may actually be adding to your stress, such as complications to your sexual wellness and hormone therapies.
Skin Bar MedSpa wants to help you accomplish your wellness goals in a way that makes you feel good. Because when you feel good, you look good. We’ve made it easy to schedule an appointment, and we even offer stress-free payment plans. Now, take a deep breath in through the nose (count to 4) and out through the mouth (count to 4). You’re ready. Give us a call!