Have you ever experienced what happens to your body after staying up late and working overtime for a period of time?
More money in your pocket? Not really.
But the ugliness is obvious, such as: hair has become less, skin has become worse, stomach has become round, eye bags have become larger...
Why did such a "cruel and inhumane" thing happen? Because, hit workers can really be "tired and ugly."
Studies have found that long-term chronic psychological stress can make skin conditions worse by affecting the skin's barrier function and immune system, slowing down skin wound healing and increasing susceptibility to pathogens [1].
1. Induce or aggravate acne
Hormones, neuropeptides, and inflammatory cytokines associated with stress increase sebum secretion [2]. Sebum is an oily substance that mixes with exfoliated keratinocytes to clog the follicle opening, which, combined with the action of bacteria (mainly Propionibacterium acnes), leads to the development of acne (i.e., acnes).
(Source: giphy)
2. Accelerate skin aging and increase wrinkles
Stress causes the body to secrete a large amount of stress hormones, cortisol, which breaks down the important proteins that support the skin- collagen and elastin, causing the skin to atrophy and thin, sagging, decreasing elasticity, and increasing wrinkles [3].
3. Eye bags appear prematurely
Sagging skin due to loss of skin elasticity can further lead to premature appearance of eye bags [4].
4. The skin becomes sensitive
Stress can damage the skin's permeability and antibacterial barrier, causing it to become sensitive [5].
5. Hair loss, hair whitening
Cortisol accumulates excessively in the hair follicles, leading to hair growth disorders that cause hair loss [6].
Stress can also make people grow gray hair. Studies have found that stress-induced sympathetic activity can lead to the loss of stem cells that produce melanin. When these stem cells are lost, the hair becomes gray or white due to the reduction or absence of melanin particles [7].
Therefore, "tired and ugly" is not an illusion, but indeed a real damage caused by pressure to the skin.
If you have already encountered "tired ugliness", don't worry, please put away the trick of turning the tables against the wind:
1. Fights skin aging
In terms of diet, you can make changes to the "tired" you can make, for example, choose natural and nutritious foods, eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, beef and other lean proteins [9], which can also help delay skin aging.
Of course, if there is no adequate sleep and strict sun protection, even expensive skin care products and nutritious foods are in vain.
2. Fight against stress pox
Stressed enough to burst?
In addition to using facial cleanser, if the acne is more serious, going to a regular hospital to let the doctor prescribe medicine is more effective and safe than applying skin care products at home. Drugs containing benzoyl peroxide, α-hydroxy acid, sulfur, etc., are effective against different levels of acne [10].
Also, try not to touch your face with your hands. Stay away from oily cosmetics and sunscreens, which will only make your acne worse.
3. Relieve eye bags
One fact: Eye bags may make you look 10 years older.
If eye bags are severe, pay attention to limiting salt intake in your diet. Because salt will make the moisture of the blood vessels run to the loose subcutaneous tissue, the subcutaneous tissue will be like a sponge that sucks up the water, holding up the skin under the eyes and becoming the "eye bag" that we can see with the naked eye [11].
4. Reduce wrinkles
Skin care products containing anti-wrinkle and anti-aging ingredients such as retinol, α-hydroxy acid, and ascorbic acid can help reduce wrinkles. If you want to further improve the anti-wrinkle effect, seeking medical aesthetics may be a more significant approach [11].
5, let the gray hair come later
Some people's lack of whiteheads is related to mental and psychological stress factors. If you want gray hair to come later, in addition to releasing stress and regulating your emotions, you can also start in terms of diet.
For example, foods rich in Ω-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts and salmon, can be consciously added to the daily diet, and vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 can be supplemented appropriately according to their own conditions [11].
6. Save sensitive skin
Sensitive skin is very fragile, and it is necessary to pay attention to it in the usual care.
First of all, do not over-clean. For most sensitive skin, facial cleanser is enough to use once a day. At the same time, choose a cleanser suitable for sensitive skin, avoid soap-based cleanser, and suspend the use of facial cleanser for skin that has already developed an allergic condition.
Applying moisturizers after washing your face protects the skin barrier from external irritations and greatly reduces the chance of skin sensitivity. However, be careful to choose products that are simple in composition, have little or no fragrance, and are friendly to the skin. Avoid skincare products that contain antibacterial or deodorant, alcohol, vitamin A, α-hydroxy acids, etc. [12].
7. Relieve dark circles
Rather than using an eye cream to relieve, adequate sleep is the most effective way to reduce dark circles.
Also, sun protection is important! Sunscreen can prevent the formation of melanin in the eyes and delay the aging of the eye skin. Wear sunglasses when you go out or apply alcohol-free sunscreen around your eyes.
8. Relieve tension
The most important thing is to release stress and regulate emotions.
(Source: soogif)
Maintaining the skin and hair according to the above methods can slow down aging to a certain extent, but in the end, "the symptoms are not cured".
When we realize that mental stress does reduce the appearance, we may understand that the most effective beauty method is to extinguish the "small flame" of stress at the source.
(Source: Stills from "Leave Work on Time")
Here are 4 ways to reduce stress for office workers:
(1) Develop good habits of eating and living
Healthy and balanced eating habits and regular and sufficient sleep every day are your strong confidence in bravely facing the pressures of life.
(2) Arrange some relaxation activities
After work, to arrange relaxing activity time for yourself, you can well alleviate the pressure brought by work, and relaxing life will in turn improve work efficiency.
(3) Moderate physical exercise
Exercise allows the brain to release pleasant endorphin hormones, allowing you to escape from the weight of work and get a little breathing.
(4) Communicate more with people close to you
When under pressure, don't hold your breath and bury your head in life, try to open up and talk to friends, family, or psychologists.
Life is not always satisfactory
When things happen
Try to relax and discover the beauty of life
After all, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome
Tomorrow is another beautiful day
bibliography
[1] Hunter HJ, Momen SE, Kleyn CE. The impact of psychosocial stress on healthy skin. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2015.
[2] JJovi A, Marinovi B, Kostovi K, eovi R, Basta-Juzba i A, Bukvi Mokos Z. The Impact of Pyschological Stress on Acne. Acta Dermatovenerol Croat. 2017.
[3] Chen Y, Lyga J. Brain-skin connection: stress, inflammation and skin aging. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2014.
[4]https://www.healthline.com/health/stress-on-face
[5] Jiang B, Cui L, Zi Y, Jia Y, He C. Skin surface lipid differences in sensitive skin caused by psychological stress and distinguished by support vector machine. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019.
[6] Thom E. Stress and the Hair Growth Cycle: Cortisol-Induced Hair Growth Disruption. J Drugs Dermatol. 2016.
[7] Zhang B, Ma S, Rachmin I, et al. Hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves drives depletion of melanocyte stem cells. Nature. 2020.
[8]https://www.webmd.com/beauty/ss/slideshow-anti-aging-ingredients
[9]https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/anti-aging-skin-foods#1
[10]https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/in-depth/acne-products/ART-20045814?p=1
[11]https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/stress-skin
[12]https://www.webmd.com/beauty/sensitive-skin-20-questions#2
Editors: Ye Zhengxing, Guo Qian, Zhang Liang
Typesetting: Han Ningning | Proofreader: Wu Yihe
Operations: Li Yongmin | Coordinator: Wu Wei