Mindfulness & Your Skin

When you are stressed, the body reacts by raising the level of cortisol internally. This in turn has numerous effects on your largest organ – the skin.

The skin acts as a natural barrier to irritants and keeps skin supple by keeping moisture in. Cortisol affects the skin’s function leading to dull, dry skin and loss of elasticity. It causes skin to be more reactive and harder for it to heal. It also tells glands in your body to produce more oil, resulting in acne.

Stress can also aggravate:

• Eczema

• Psoriasis

• Hives

• Rosacea

In addition, cortisol is involved in the ageing of the skin so increased levels accelerate ageing, leading to facial lines and wrinkles. Stress also increases free radicals which contributes to the ageing process.

So if we can reverse stress and replace it with activities that relax you and lower your cortisol levels, it will do wonders for your skin. Yet another reason to practice mindfulness and well-being. In fact, those who practice mindfulness are known to have lower levels of cortisol in their system.