How Can Your Mental Health Affect Your Skin?

When you think of mental health and any issues you might be experiencing, it’s unlikely your skin will come to mind as a reason for it. You might consider all kinds of outside forces first, and perhaps you’re right; it could be any one – or more – of these external factors. 

However, it could also be your skin and any problems associated with it. It could be this in addition to being stressed at work or developing depression through grief, for example. Or it could simply be your skin by itself. The point is that your skin can affect your mental health without you even knowing it, and that can be problematic as it makes it harder to treat you and understand your triggers. With that in mind, read on to see if issues with your skin might cause your mental health. If that is the case, you can take steps to improve things. 

Acne

Acne is not just something that tweens and teenagers have to contend with; many adults also suffer from it. It might appear on the face, but it could also be on the back, arms, or chest, for example. Ironically, although acne can cause stress, it can also be a symptom of stress. So it could be that you developed acne because of a reaction to a trauma, but the acne being present made your stress worse, meaning that it didn’t go away and has become chronic. It’s a vicious cycle that you can stop. 

One way to stop it is to seek help from a therapist. If you can combat your stress and anxiety, your skin may well heal. Alternatively (or as well as), you can see a doctor or dermatologist to deal with the acne. Medication such as Epiduo acne gel can help, as can a healthy diet and exercise. 

Aging

We all get older, and as much as we might not like what it’s doing to our skin, age will certainly have an effect. You might have invested a lot of money in various creams and lotions to help you stay looking youthful. Maybe you’ve had cosmetic procedures such as Botox. However, it’s important to remember that these things will only work well if they have a solid base to work from, and your mental health might not give you that base. 

Getting older affects people in many different ways. Some can handle it, while others become depressed and stressed by it. Stress causes more cortisol to be made by the body, which affects the skin’s elasticity. In other words, by worrying more, you are adding wrinkles to your face. If you can address your mental health, your cortisol levels will stop spiking, and you will stop creating wrinkles – and you can work on the ones you have. 

Eczema

When you are under stress, the inflammation levels in your body rise, and more cortisol is produced, as mentioned above. As well as causing wrinkles, this will also stop hyaluronic acid from being made, which helps keep the skin moisturized. If you’ve ever noticed your skin is dry, perhaps on your face or elbows, it could be because you’re probably under stress. 
For some people, this can manifest in the form of eczema. The good news is there are a number of medications that can cause the discomfort, but of course, the best thing to do is to de-stress as soon as possible. Speak to a professional if you’re not sure where to start.