The skin is the largest organ and serves not just to protect us from negative influences. It has a direct connection to the brain, and is also a window to our health. As well as external influences such as food, dust or weather, our internal mood is an important factor for the state of our skin. If we suffer stress, we accelerate the damage from within. Not only is stress detrimental to the body’s vital organs, it is also the major contributor of skin damage, skin disease, and the ageing process.

Stress accelerates the ageing process
Stress is one of the principal actor to an increased population of free radicals in the body, which, in turn, has been discovered to be a major cause of premature ageing. Emotional or mental shocks cause constant muscular contractions that eventually make permanent fine lines and wrinkles on the face.

Also, extended periods of stress has a big influence on the skin's ability to function properly. With essential nutrients being detoured during stressful periods, the skin suffers from dehydration, body fluid imbalance, and reduced renewal of skin cells causing it to look dull. This nutrient deprivation puts the entire body in a state of imbalance.As skin breaks down under the effects of stress, the skin's barrier function is disrupted. This barrier is the oily layer that seals in moisture and is a protective shield from the environment. The skin then can suffer from excessive dryness and most frequently wrinkles.

Stress onsets skin diseases:
Stress could also suppress the skin immune system. Hormonal changes brought on by stress is responsible for skin sensitivity; redness; itching; allergies; blotchiness and lastly eczema. Facial muscles tighten, leading to permanent expression lines as i said above. Collagen could also be damaged due result of this condition. The permeability of skin could also be affected by stress.

Stress can cause other factors which have a major impact on the skin
Stress also affects the digestive system, and we all know that imperfect digestion adversely affects skin health.

When food is not properly digested, the nutrients do not absorb as they should, thus allowing undigested impurities to accumulate in the body faster than the body can get rid of them. The complexion of the skin is therefore modified : Tendancy to have a " pale" complexion, dark circle, and puffy eyes.

Can you reverse the effects of stress on your skin?
As mentioned before, stress is an internal symptom that can cause external effects on the skin by generating skin disorder and/or skin disease,To reverse the effect of the stress on the skin, we need first to find solutions to get rid of the stress and treat at the same time the skin.

The solutions to prevent skin ageing / or skin disorder by eliminating stress: