How do our mood and stress affect the beauty of our face?

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now she will share with us her knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

Friends, do you like to look at the sincerely smiling face of your interlocutor? After all, it seems to radiate light and warmth! And maybe even a person without special beauty becomes more attractive and charming. In the middle of the 19th century, Church of England Bishop Charles Gordy famously said: “Smiling is a cheap way to look better.” It means a sincere and deep smile, coming from the bottom of the heart. And German scientists from the Max Planck Institute have proven that smiling people look several years younger than those who walk with a neutral face (not to mention gloomy ones).

Inessa Tsarkova

My dear readers, please note, is it pleasant for you to look at the face of a person (despite the undoubted beauty) immersed in a negative state (irritation, anger, rage, anxiety, fear), on the contrary? Agree, it changes a lot and loses its attractiveness all the time.

In people who have been in a stressful state for a long time, the body seems to group, “shrink”, squeeze into a “fist”. Soon the facial features begin to change, the original beauty and freshness gradually disappear, and the inner radiance seems to fade. The skin color becomes dull and even pale. This occurs due to chronic hypoxia, as a result of prolonged spasm of the facial and chewing muscles, as well as the muscles of the neck and chest. Muscles that have been contracted for a long time grow together with connective tissue, their fascia hardens (sticks together). There is a compression of the vessels that bring nutrients and oxygen to the tissues (including the skin of the face) and drain the waste products of metabolism into the lymphatic channels. As a result of these processes, lymphatic drainage becomes difficult. The face swells, the pores expand, the skin thickens.

In a sad and gloomy person, the corners of the mouth droop, posture collapses, swelling of the subcutaneous fat increases due to congestion, a chin appears, the clear contour of the facial oval is lost, the nasolabial folds deepen, and the eyelids droop.

The spasmed muscles contract and the skin over them gathers in folds and wrinkles.

American motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar: “Smile at people and talk to them often. Isn’t it simple? It takes 72 muscles to frown and 14 to smile. The first thing you notice in others is their smile.”

During stress, in addition to changes at the level of muscles, fascia and blood vessels, the hormonal background of the body also changes. The level of stress and activity hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) increases. Normally, stress is the body’s physiological response to danger and causes a defensive “fight or flight” behavior. However, excessive, uncontrolled and chronic stress leads to an excessive increase in such hormones, which leads to the breakdown of hyaluronic acid (by increasing the production of the hyaluronidase enzyme, which fills our skin with moisture and breaks down this wonderful acid necessary for our body’s regeneration processes). At the same time, the activity of the metalloproteinase enzyme, which destroys collagen and elastin, increases, leading to accelerated skin aging.

The production of stress hormones, which cause the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, leads to vasospasm. As a result, blood circulation is disturbed (including facial tissues), which leads to ischemia, reduced immunity and the protective function of the skin. The skin of the face becomes more sensitive to both external and internal irritants. Activation of stress hormones leads to a slowdown in lipid production, which disrupts the renewal of the lipid membrane of cells. As a result, rashes, peeling, itching, redness and other signs of inflammation and activation of pathogenic microflora may appear on the face. Disorders also occur at the level of pigment production. Pigment spots, moles (called nevi), freckles or, conversely, areas of depigmentation (vitiligo) may appear.

The effects of stress increase the production of adrenaline and norepinephrine by the adrenal glands. This increases sebum production and increases sweating (hyperhidrosis) on the face and scalp. Together with sweat and sebum, both water-soluble and fat-soluble toxins leave the body. Therefore, the skin is directly related to the functioning of the bile outflow system, intestinal health and liver health. In turn, sebum production with a viscous secretion containing toxins leads to clogging of pores and inflammation, activation of pathogenic bacteria and, as a result, aggravation of acne, the formation of blackheads on the skin of the face. Often, increased sweating is accompanied by a feeling of heat and redness on the skin.

During stress, the production of sex hormones (both estrogen and testosterone), which are responsible not only for reproductive functions, but also for the activity of rejuvenation processes in the body (including youthful skin), is suppressed.

Increased cortisol levels lead to difficulty in producing melatonin and sleep disorders. However, the night hormone melatonin is one of the most powerful antioxidants, the most important protector against the harmful effects of UV radiation, the worst enemy of the skin, and is responsible for the growth and beauty of not only the skin but also the hair. A restless or sleepless night immediately affects the beauty of the face. Poor quality sleep and chronic lack of sleep disrupt the processes of skin regeneration (repair and renewal). As a result, unhealthy skin, puffiness and premature wrinkles appear. The effect of sleep restriction on skin beauty was proven in 2019 by Korean researcher Sue Im Zhang. It turned out that after the first night of insufficient sleep (the women tested during the study slept only 4 hours instead of the usual 8 hours), the skin’s moisturizing processes slowed down. During the experiment, the skin lost its elasticity, fine wrinkles deepened, and the skin texture deteriorated significantly.

My dear reader, remember and try to follow the rules of caring for the beauty of your face and your health in general. This is what will help us in this matter.

Use stress reduction techniques and meditation regularly. I wrote about this in the article “How to meditate correctly: time, methods, types“

Know and regularly use muscle relaxation techniques. You can remember them here: “Body spasms: where do they come from and what to do about it” and “How tension affects beauty and health. Self-massage and simple relaxation techniques for every day.” As for the face, it is important to pay attention to the facial and chewing muscles, as well as the neck muscles, chest muscles, collar zone and shoulders.

Pay attention to your posture. Daily exercises (at least 20 minutes a day) such as pilates, yoga, gym and self-control can help us in this regard.

Sleep at least 7 hours–08:00. Make sure you get quality sleep. How to – Read my article “5 Daily Habits to Maintain Health and Youth”.

Prevent bloating. You can read about it here: “Bloating: where do they come from and what to do with them?”

Of course, please yourself every day, smile and show your love. After all, that’s why we came to Earth.

As the great French novelist, poet and playwright Victor Hugo once wisely put it, “We are born with a scream, we die with a groan. All that remains is to live laughing.”