How Stress Affects the Skin
Stress can significantly impact skin health, leading to various visible and uncomfortable effects. These include accelerated ageing, inflammation, acne flare-ups, and even conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. The skin’s protective barrier can be weakened, making it more susceptible to irritants and environmental damage.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
1. Accelerated Ageing
Stress hormones like cortisol can break down collagen and elastin. Proteins essential for skin firmness and elasticity, leading to fine lines and wrinkles. Stress can also slow down skin cell turnover, making signs of ageing more noticeable. Facial tension, such as frowning or brow furrowing, may also contribute to deeper expression lines.
2. Inflammation and Skin Conditions
Stress triggers inflammatory responses in the body, which can worsen existing skin concerns. Conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea often flare up during times of emotional or physical stress. The skin’s microbiome may also become imbalanced, resulting in dryness, flakiness, and increased sensitivity. In some cases, stress can trigger histamine release, which may cause or worsen hives.
3. Impaired Barrier Function
Chronic stress weakens the skin’s barrier, reducing its ability to defend against external aggressors like pollution, UV radiation, and allergens. This makes the skin more reactive, prone to dryness, and less able to retain moisture. A weakened barrier may also increase the likelihood of irritation or flare-ups.
4. Other Effects
Stress can impact more than just the skin’s surface. It’s also linked to hair thinning or loss, increased sweating, and fluid retention, which may contribute to puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. It can also affect the skin’s natural moisturising factors (NMFs), leading to dehydration.
In essence, stress acts as a trigger, amplifying existing issues and contributing to new ones. Taking care of your skin during stressful times goes hand in hand with managing stress through sleep, movement, and mindfulness.
When you’re under pressure, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. In small amounts, cortisol helps you manage short-term stress. But when it’s constantly elevated, it can begin to interfere with the skin’s ability to function properly.
Stress-related changes in the skin can include:
- Redness and sensitivity
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Dullness and skin fatigue
- Loss of firmness or sagging
- Dryness or dehydration
- A compromised skin barrier, which can lead to irritation and breakouts
These are common signs of stress-induced inflammageing. A low-level, chronic inflammation that accelerates skin ageing over time.
This can lead to:
- Breakdown of collagen and elastin, which causes fine lines and a loss of firmness
- Increased inflammation, making redness and sensitivity more noticeable
- Slower skin repair, contributing to dryness, fatigue, and a dull tone
- A weakened skin barrier, leaving the skin more vulnerable to irritation and environmental stress
Together, these changes make the skin less able to renew, protect, and recover, visibly accelerating signs of ageing and imbalance.
A Targeted Approach for Stressed Skin
What often helps my clients is Seriénce Night Serum by Environ. It’s specifically formulated to address the visible effects of stress on the skin, using a targeted blend of ingredients known as the Malachite-Neuropeptide Complex.
Applied before bed, it works in harmony with the skin’s natural overnight repair cycle, helping to calm signs of stress, support skin structure, and restore a more rested, resilient appearance by morning.
It works in four main ways:
Reset the Skin’s Stress Response
Neuropeptides help calm the effects of cortisol, reducing signs like fatigue, dullness, and dark circles.
Relax Tension in Facial Muscles
Argireline® Amplified helps soften the look of expression lines and signs of daily facial tension.
Rebuild Skin Structure
Matrixyl® Morphomics™ supports collagen production and helps improve skin firmness and elasticity.
Defend Against Environmental Stress
Malachite extract acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect skin cells from the effects of pollution and daily oxidative stress.
Limited Edition Size Available
The 50 ml version of Seriénce Night Serum offers 20 ml more than the standard size, providing extended use for those experiencing ongoing skin stress.
Available from: 1 August 2025, while stocks last
The standard 30 ml size is usually £73. During the August promotion, the limited-edition 50 ml size is also priced at £73, giving you an extra 20 ml at no extra cost and saving you £49.
If you’ve noticed your skin looking tired, dull, or more reactive than usual, it could be a sign that stress is showing on the surface. Supporting your skin through these changes is possible, with the right products, routine, and expert guidance.
If you’re ready to take the next step toward calmer, stronger, and more resilient skin, book a consultation with us. We’re here to help you understand what your skin needs and how to give it the support it deserves. Love,
Nicola x
