Calm Down! Your skin might be stressed out (even if you aren’t). Dealing with it: Tips that will not add stress

Why do we always seem to break out before an important date or meeting? 

That could be the stress factor. This time of year, although exciting and mostly filled with joy, can be stressful: All those gifts to buy and oh-my-gosh-I-forgot-Aunt-Gertrude! (We have some last-minute gift ideas at the end of this post).

Stress, anxiety and fear cause your body to release hormones such as cortisol—which is fine in small doses, but a problem if levels are high and prolonged. Stress affects your immunity system, putting you at more risk for catching colds as well as a host of other medical problems: High blood pressure and heart problems, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, headaches, and muscle tension to name a few. Stress can also cause or aggravate skin conditions such as eczema, hair loss, and many other unwanted skin conditions.

Bottom line: Stress = not good stuff.

You can battle stress through meditation and other forms of “thinking your way out of it.” Exercising, eating healthy foods, drinking less alcohol and caffeinated products are also good stress-beaters; talking to your doctor about medications for severe stress might be a good idea if you feel it is out of control..

Maybe you aren’t stressed out, but your skin could be. How can that happen? Consider the weather, for instance. Very hot or cold weather can cause dryness, breakouts, rashes, irritation and persistent itching. Good remedies for cold weather skin problems includes avoiding hot water and using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer, like the  Gentle Cleansing Lotion and Advanced Care Moisturizer, which are free of irritating acids. If your skin is super-irritated to the point of cracking and rashes, try massaging in some very hydrating, anti-inflammatory and calming Emu Oil, and L’il Ones Rash Cream, which is great for adult rashes, too. Over-the-counter cortisone cream can help a lot with itching, but should be avoided on skin that is prone to breaking out.

Hot weather brings on more perspiration which brings on more breakouts; using a  gentle wash with salicylic acid is a good idea, like what you’ll find in the AB Cleanser. If you do get some pimples, dab on some deeply-penetrating, anti-bacterial Clear, with 5% benzoyl peroxide, the long-trusted ingredient in acne control.

The sun can irritate your skin, not just by causing sunburns: The sun is very damaging and the primary culprit of premature aging of the skin. Using sunscreen every day—because even indoor light can age skin (!)—is the best age-prevention solution. Try the Cotz in either the  Cotz sensitive or Cotz tinted formulation.

Over-using peels and other exfoliating products can also stress out your skin. If your skin rebels and develops irritation, the simple fix is to stop everything for a few days to let your skin calm down. Use only gentle products with no acids during this time—just as you would for weather-irritated skin as noted above. (To read more about cures for over-treated skin, read our August 13th blog post  “Too Much of a Good Thing” here.

Smoking is a humongous stress on the entire body and shows up on the skin by causing premature discoloration and wrinkling, particularly around the mouth and eyes. You know the cure for that; I don’t need to bug you about it.

Some last-minute gift ideas: Did you catch our blog post on great beauty gifts that won’t offend anyone? Chock full of GREAT ideas you can order—or make yourself for very little money.  Check out the “Beauty Gifts” post here.

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings!

Where can I buy Dana's Book?

The Skin Regime; Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin, available as a Kindle download or Buy paperback to buy your paperback copy from Platinum Skin Care. You can also read the first chapter--FREE--by click here to read 1st chapter.

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