Living through a pandemic alters our behavior and emotions. Even though you may think that you manage your stress well enough, the real evidence may be suddenly developing problematic skin with acne, psoriasis, rashes, and eczema. If you want to nip stressed skin in the bud, then I will explain the type of behavior causing that spike in destructive cortisol levels thanks to this pandemic that you may be missing and skin solutions that can help.
Of all times in our recent history, we never went through a pandemic such as this one living through the Coronavirus. The uncertainty of how to pay your bills or even if you will have a job to return is worrisome. Unfortunately, these things can impact stress levels to affect your skin.
Then again, you may not have the luxury of working from home, which could increase your exposure to this virus and add to your anxiety, which can result in stressed skin. If you have to work outside of the home, the thought of how far those airborne particles could travel or penetrate through your mask can also keep you up at nights. You could also resent wearing a mask all day at your workplace because it is hard to breathe through and hot, which also can account for suddenly troubled, stressed skin such as rashes, chafing and acne.
To protect yourself and family, your social life could be suffering. Missing date nights or gatherings with your friends could be secretly taking more of a toll on your skin than you may realize from the stress hormones surging in your system. Though you may not realize it, harboring those pent-up emotions can ruin your skin thanks to this pandemic.
Your hidden fears also could extend to sending your children back to school to complicate your stress levels and tension. Though you may want them keeping their education up to date and open so you can return to your job, there is always the possibility they can contract the virus or bring it home as a carrier to pass on to you, the rest of your family and any elderly relatives living with you. After all, children always don’t understand social distancing and may forget about keeping their masks on or being overly close to each other.
Until we actually have a vaccine to end this pandemic, there are several useful techniques that you may help clear up troubled skin for stress management. Sometimes, the easiest place to start is with a routine that could get you thinking about something else. For instance, you might try taking a daily walk or meditating when your thoughts start to close in and replace those fears with a goal that you want to accomplish such as getting in shape. Reducing even a small amount of stress can make a difference to the beauty of your skin let alone what the exercise can do to sculpt your body. The important thing about establishing a relaxing routine with a goal to replace that tension is that doing so will give you a feeling of more control of this stressful pandemic situation that will lower cortisol levels and calm stressed skin.
Furthermore, wearing a mask all day could also cause breakouts from the clogged oils, sweat and grime mingling in close contact on the skin. What you may find beneficial for stressed skin is sticking to noncomedogenic makeup and skin care products that won’t clog your pores. While wearing a mask, you also want to avoid skin care products that have petroleum among their ingredients, which can burrow into the pores but also interfere with the effectiveness of your mask from how it coats the material.
In addition, if you have an oily complexion using a water-soluble moisturizer instead of an oil-based one can better prevent an increase in skin eruptions.
When all else fails, you can also try treating your stressed skin directly. The good news is adapalene gel (1%) solution that was once just available from your dermatologist is now available over the counter for treating bad acne. You may want to look into trying this product for just the troubled areas. For those seeking aa gentler solution, there is always a salicylic acid cleanser or product that could do the job with less irritation or spot treat with benzoyl peroxide. Another idea is trying a few of my homemade acne remedies that have worked for me in the past.
The good news is that this pandemic isn’t going to last forever. Hopefully, what I shared here will help you a bit more from letting it destroy your skin.
