Stress-Induced Skin Aging: The Hidden Connection
Aging is a natural part of life, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take steps to help slow it down. In fact, did you know that chronic stress symptoms can speed up the rate our skin ages? While most of us associate stress with increasing anxiety or making us more tired and cranky, the real damage may be happening at a cellular level.
Let’s take a look at how the symptoms of chronic stress and certain hormones, especially cortisol, can impact our skin health and how we can best protect our skin so it glows for years to come.
Understanding Cortisol’s Impact on Collagen Production
Cortisol is a hormone produce by the adrenal glands in response to stress. While short bursts of cortisol are normal and even helpful, high cortisol long-term can lead to chronic stress symptoms and a cascade of health problems, especially for our skin.
One of the main ways that cortisol impacts our skin is by decreasing collagen synthesis. Collagen is the protein in our skin that keeps it soft, supple and firm. Collagen naturally starts to break down as we age, but the impact of stress can accelerate this process.
Specifically, cortisol inhibits the activity of fibroblasts – the cells responsible for collagen formation – while at the same time promoting the breakdown of the collagen we already have.1
Less collagen means more sign of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Even the best anti-aging skin care or best moisturizer for aging skin can’t make up for the loss of collagen.
Stress Hormones and Aging Skin
But it’s not just cortisol. Other stress hormones, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, when released in excess, can contribute to something we call “inflammaging” – a low-grade, chronic inflammatory state that accelerates the breakdown of tissues and causes aging of the cells.2
Skin cells that are under repeated stress show:
- Reduced cell turnover
- Dehydration
- Impaired barrier function
- Increased redness and sensitivity
The skin’s outer later becomes less effective at retaining moisture, and the skin is less able to ward off infections and irritations. This leads to skin that looks dull, tired and inflamed.2 Even the best anti aging skin care routine can’t erase the long-term effects of inflammaging on the skin.
How Chronic Stress Damages the Skin
Chronic stress doesn’t just put you on edge – it literally damages the skin over time. Studies show that stress increases oxidative damage to the skin by creating free radicals. These free radicals attack all the key components of our skin – lipids, proteins, and even the DNA – which speeds up the signs of aging.3
In other words, chronic stress symptoms can damage your skin faster than you think.
Cortisol Effects on Elastin Breakdown
While collagen gives strength and firmness, elastin provides the bounce and elasticity. Unfortunately, cortisol kills our elastin as well.
When cortisol levels stay high for long periods of time, they can stimulate enzymes that start to break down elastin fibers. Additionally, free radicals damage elastin the same as they do with collagen. All of this equates to sagging, wrinkled skin.
A paper in 2022 emphasized the impact all this stress has on skin, suggesting that the cumulative effects of cortisol and oxidative stress lead to premature loss of skin elasticity and impaired skin repair.4
To support healthy elastin and collagen, the best anti aging skin care routines should go beyond topicals and target internal antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support.
Stress-Related Skin Aging Prevention
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news. We do have resources we can use to ward off the signs of “inflammaging” and take back our health. Managing stress, both inward and outward, can mitigate these effects and help get our skin back to showing its internal glow. Start with these tips:
1. Incorporate Stress-Relieving Practices
Managing stress is priority #1. Reducing cortisol levels and chronic stress symptoms will help slow down the damaging effects of stress. Not sure where to start?
Try integrating some of these daily or weekly:
- Deep breathing or meditation
- Gentle movement (yoga, tai chi, walking)
- Prioritize sleep and hydration
- Limiting caffeine and sugar
- Make time to socialize
- Talk with a therapist
2. Key Supplementation: Support Antioxidant Defense with NAC5
N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC) is one of our most powerful antioxidants to fight the symptoms of chronic stress. Its main role is to replenish our master antioxidant, glutathione, which is our best internal defense against oxidative stress.
NAC has been shown to:
- Reduce the production of free radicals
- Protect the skin from breaking down
- Improve overall cellular function
Body Kitchen’s Mega NAC delivers a potent dose of NAC to help fortify your skin from the inside out. By reducing the oxidative burden, NAC allows collagen and elastin to thrive and allows you to look and feel your best.
3. Use Targeted Skincare Products
Skincare products that provide topical antioxidant support can be another good choice. But don’t let it replace targeting the inner inflammation as well.
Look for ingredients such as:
- Vitamin C
- Hyaluronic acid
- Peptides
- Ceramides
- Turmeric
For a comprehensive routine, focus on anti aging skin care products that offer a variety of these potentially helpful ingredients. But remember, the world of skin care products can be confusing and tricky. Ideally, consult your dermatologist for the best anti aging skin care routine so you get what’s most effective and don’t end up wasting your money.
4. Protect Your Skin from Within
A healthy diet is one of your best defenses against inflammaging and chronic stress symptoms. A diverse diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains and fish will provide key anti-inflammatory nutrients such as:
- Vitamins C & E
- Omega 3’s
- Zinc and selenium
- Polyphenols (aka antioxidants)
Combining these with an NAC supplement, such as Body Kitchen’s Mega NAC, is the perfect combo to calm the inflammation within and restore skin’s integrity and youthfulness.
Final Thoughts
While aging is inevitable, there are many ways we can help slow the process and keep the skin vibrant and healthy for years to come. Unfortunately, chronic stress is rampant in our society, and so we need to take proactive steps to prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin and slow down the process of inflammaging.
Remember, reducing stress is top priority. But while working on that, employ these other tips and techniques to help your skin stand a chance against the stress in our daily lives. A good first step is adding Body Kitchen’s Mega NAC to your daily routine. Supporting your skin’s natural defenses from within could be the key to keeping your skin young for years to come.