How To Reduce Stress-induced Wrinkles And Fine Lines

How To Reduce Stress-induced Wrinkles And Fine Lines : Did you know that a crinkle on your forehead could be a sign that you are stressed and tired? No kidding! Studies have shown that stress can wreak havoc on your skin, making you look much older than your actual age! It’s true. Crow’s feet and fine lines may not have much to do with the passing years but the drudgery of life.

Yes, human struggles and challenges are a given. One has to deal with them on a regular basis. However, how one manages daily stresses has a significant impact on the quality of life. Skin is the largest organ in the human body. As the body tries to adapt to changes to ensure its own survival, the skin too bears the brunt of the responses to a shift in its environment. Wondering how skin aging is a by-product of stress and anxiety? Read along to know more!

How Does Stress Cause The Formation Of Wrinkles?

Research suggests that skin is the most immediate stress perceiver and a natural target of the body’s stress response. Lifestyle and environmental factors take a toll on our skin and cause oxidative stress that damages skin cells. Prolonged exposure to stress can cause chronic immune dysfunction and DNA damage, which contribute to skin aging. Collagen is well-known for maintaining supple and youthful skin. But stress-induced chronic inflammation of the skin can result in collagen fragmentation and hence, loss of skin elasticity. This results in sagging, the appearance of crow feet, fine lines, and wrinkles.

How To Reduce Stress-induced Aging Of The Skin?

Acute depression and anxiety caused due to mental and physical stressors impact the appearance of your skin. Wondering how to manage that daily stress to age gracefully? Here are some tips on lifestyle changes that you can adopt to turn back the clock by reducing stress-induced fine lines and wrinkles:

Catch That Beauty Sleep

Stress can impact sleeping patterns. So, you need to keep all disturbances at bay to reduce the disruption of your natural sleep rhythm. Sleep lowers stress hormones and flushes out toxins. Therefore, getting enough sleep is crucial in maintaining good skin health. Ensure sound, uninterrupted sleep for at least 6-8 hours. Maintain a strict sleep schedule, and turn off electronics to limit light exposure at least an hour before hitting the bed.

Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

Sleep is vital in managing your stress levels. While caffeine helps you get going with your day with its energy-boosting properties (since it keeps you awake and increases productivity), it can interfere with your sleep pattern. So, avoid drinking coffee or tea at least 8 hours before your bedtime.

Rest And Relax

Physical fitness can reduce mental tension. Exercise can stimulate the production of endorphins, a hormone that imparts the feel-good factor. Aerobic exercises help reduce your body’s stress levels and elevate your mood to naturally slow down the process of aging. The emotional benefits of exercise are plenty, so keep your body busy and relax your mind with meditative yoga poses or moderate workouts. This can aid in staying mentally distracted, thereby, lowering those killer stress hormones.

Exfoliate Your Skin

Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells, stimulate new cell growth, and unclog pores. This helps promote a healthy and glowing complexion. It also helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as to keep your skin looking youthful and vibrant. Make sure to use a gentle exfoliating product that is suitable for your skin type. You can even mix exfoliating products with alpha and beta hydroxy acids for a more youthful appearance. Click this link to check out the variety of alpha & beta hydroxy acids collection.

Keep Your Skin Moisturized

Drinking plenty of water can help reduce stress. If stress has caused your skin to dry up, you will need to keep it well hydrated and nourished. Stress and anxiety cause dermal issues like dry skin—one of the culprits of fine lines and wrinkles. Tackle your dry skin woes internally and externally. Nourish your skin with vitamin C, E, B3 (niacinamide), coenzyme Q, A (retinol) & D infused moisturizers and serums to see a noticeable difference in your skin appearance and reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.

Watch Your Diet

Antioxidant-rich foods can help reduce the effects of oxidative stress-induced diseases. Polyphenols possess anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties that can effectively reduce sympathetic nervous system overactivity that triggers a stress response in the body.

Foods rich in polyphenols can also help you rewind your age. Fill your plate with nutrient-rich foods like chia and flax seeds, green leafy non-starchy vegetables, berries, green tea, and fruits. You may also consider taking vitamin C, A, B3, E, and collagen supplements to help you bridge the nutritional gap in your diet.

Say No To Sugar

Ditch the sugar as it may cause the blood sugar levels to spike and fall. A high amount of glucose pushes the mitochondria on an overdrive which causes excess production of free radicals responsible for hastening the aging process. Sugar attaches to the proteins and leaves them ineffective in doing their jobs. This may interfere with the skin’s natural healing process and make you look older.

Catch Up With Your Network Circle

Studies show that the quality of your relationships and social interactions can help you deal with stress and anxiety. Positive social support can be beneficial in reducing trauma or psychological distress. As a matter of fact, your community, network of friends, and family can lower your cortisol levels and release happy hormones. So, catching up with a close-knit network circle can be a great bet for age reversal.

The effects of psychological stress on the skin are well-documented. If you wish to look younger, mental peace and happiness are crucial. You can start reversing cell damage and skin aging by consciously investing in self-care. We aren’t immortal, and aging is inevitable, but making a few tweaks to your lifestyle choices can help prevent the early onset of aging.

Author :

Sowjanya is an expert blogger and contributes in-depth articles about a range of different topics, such as beauty, health and wellness, and everything that may interest women. Her way of writing is easy to understand and informative at the same time. She is a regular contributor to StyleCraze.com and some other websites.