The role stress plays on skin aging, health and appearance.
Your eyes fly open at 3:23 AM on the dot. This has been happening all month and you’re exhausted. Like clockwork, the wave of worry and anxiety sets in on the encroaching day. Did you pay that bill? Who is carpooling the kids to soccer tonight? Can you fit in an afternoon workout or do you have to skip again? Will that client go for your proposal or did you overprice the bid? Does you Mom feel neglected because you haven’t called her in 4 days? Are you saving enough for retirement? Sound familiar?
STOP! Take a deep breath. Hold it for 5 seconds. Breath out. Believe it or not, this could save not only your life, but also your appearance. For years now we have been schooled about the role chronic stress plays in our overall physical and mental health, but few of us know of the dramatic implications that stress can have on our skin and appearance. Need an example? Look no further than every US President from when he/she enters office to when they leave. The White House seems to be a trans-dimensional portal that ages its inhabitants 10 years for every 4!
“My clients are truly Wonder Women,” exclaims Amie, a Licensed Esthetician at Face Cosmetic Skincare. “They are balancing families, marriages, full-time work lives, and still trying to stay fit and healthy and feel attractive,” she continues, “it is utterly overwhelming for so many of them and I am usually the only person in their lives telling them to SLOW DOWN and take a TIME OUT!” Amie goes on to say, “Most of my clients have no idea what role stress plays in the aging of their skin, or how to combat these signs and bring some balance to their lives.”
Stress = Inflammation, and Inflammation = Aging. This goes for the body AND your skin. Science now claims that the destructive chronic stress can easily age you a decade beyond your years. But how? Let’s talk telomeres!
In 2004, biologists and physicians started to take a closer look at telomeres. These are the tiny tips of strands of DNA; like the plastic sheath at the end of a shoelace. Telomeres stop DNA from fraying. When DNA frays, the cell’s health is impacted and become mutated. If it is a skin cell, it will cease to function or replicate properly. The results, skin with impaired collagen/elastin production, irregular oil production, dehydration, redness and premature aging! The chief enemy of telomeres? Stress and the inflammation it causes at a cellular level.
“Sometimes I have patients who I can tell feel guilty for taking time for themselves,” shares Amie shaking her head. “I explain that it’s not just the treatments I’m performing or the products I am using that will benefit their skin; it’s the downtime they are taking to close their eyes and relax and breathe,” she continues. “Women so often feel like we need permission to put on the brakes and invest in ourselves because so many other people need us, but YOU and your skin need you too,” Amie laughs! “If your health is impacted and you don’t feel good about your appearance and skin as you go through life, what is it all for?!”
“As an esthetician, my 2 favorite suggestions for women on the go are a HydraFacial and a “Skin Ritual,” states Cyndi. “HydraFacial is a 4-in-1 treatment that takes less than 45 minutes to perform and addresses ALL of the signs of stress induced aging,” she continues, “it gets you laying down on my treatment table and relaxing, it exfoliates off sluggish cells, increases circulation, encourages new collagen/elastin growth AND leaves the skin incredibly hydrated and gorgeous!”
“Next, you need a skin care ritual that involves a series of products that are custom tailored to you and your lifestyle,” advises Amie. “If a woman takes 5 minutes to run through the steps of her skincare it’s like a mini meditation session,” she smiles. “Plus, you are investing in your skin and bathing it in high powered ingredients that combat stress like Vitamin C, Vitamin A and growth factors,” she concludes.
Your skin is a mirror to your lifestyle. Treat yourself well and structure a life that gives you time to relax, and your skin will respond with health and vitality. Invest in your skin with treatments and products that care for it and its needs, and it will respond with radiance.
Curious about what treatments, products and lifestyle habits can combat stress and reveal your healthiest and most beautiful skin possible? Schedule a complimentary consultation by calling (651) 632.9700.