Is Stressing Freaking Your Skin Out?

I was diagnosed with perioral dermatitis, (a.k.a- irritation around the eyes, nose and mouth) years ago. I tend to have flare ups between late November and March. As a New Englander, this is the time when the weather gets cold, dry and the air in buildings can vary greatly... Hot, cold, dry, drier, driest. That in and of its self dries the skin out. Add poor diet (especially during the holiday season -extra sweets etc..) and usually we are in trouble. But personally I find the years my skin looked its absolute worst was when I am under a great amount of stress... sometimes the stress is at the point of overwhelm, other times I feel like I no longer am stressed, but my body has to scream to get my attention, so it starts with a small skin irritations, then around my eyes gets red, dry, irritated and puffy... next thing I know my face is uber sensitive, red, dry, rough and grumpy, and I am the esthetician walking around with terrible skin.

The year I was diagnosed with Perioral Dermatitis, I had just gotten married, I was working for the worst boss of my life and I was under extreme stress. When the flare occurred I had returned from a holiday where my body could rest and got plunked back into an incredibly toxic work environment. My adrenals were on overload. I was desperate and used a cream the dermatologist suggested despite it containing nothing but lab created chemicals... It took a while but it did clear up... (of course it really cleared up when I quit that terrible job!!!!)

The winter when my son was a few months old, I knew I was stressed. I knew my diet was not where it should be. I knew I was struggling, but the stress hit that wall where I thought I was actually managing it well, and BAM, my face exploded... That year I looked at my diet & my stress and incorporated some nourishing and rich soothing carrier oils and in a week of taking action to heal, my skin was noticeably better.

This year has been different... there have been record highs all season, climates are mild with very little variability at home or work, and I use a humidifier at home. I managed to eat well and not screw my diet up completely during the holidays. Not overdoing it... But I got run down a week ago, and felt a little funky for a few days, then this week my skin started freaking out...

It started with dryness around my nose and mouth. Then it expanded to my cheek on the right side of my face and finally around my eyes- especially under my eyes and at the outer corners. I've started getting hives, and my skin was generally freaking out. By Wednesday my face hurt, I could not keep it hydrated, the skin was very grumpy, dry and rough.

None of this looks good for an esthetician... and then the temperatures plummeted... it is currently in the negative numbers.... So it continued to get worse, until I took some drastic steps of improving my wellness.

As I tell my clients, Skincare is more than just a magic cream!!!

1) Diet

I immediately looked at diet, added some bone broth soup into my daily intake for the nutrient rich, healing benefits to the gut and whole body.... I upped the veggies, increased the water in take, and made sure I didn't forget my vitamins.

I follow an anti-inflammatory diet, but we all have our days were we are lazy and our eating habits are less than stellar... which I had been a bit lazy lately, so I immediately focused on improving my diet first. It made minor increases in my skin health very quickly.

2) LED Light

I love using my LED Light Therapy at the spa to address many skin issues. So I laid under my yellow light to soothe and calm my skin. 30 minutes under that and my skin was noticeably calmer and smoother.

3) Acupuncture, Meditation & Relaxation

Once you realize stress is the key factor you need to address it and find space to relax, meditate and use other tools that can help your body relax. I had a bit of space in my day and went to see my acupuncturist. I told her what was going on and a 45 minute session of acupuncture and to relax and destress literally soothed my skin immediately and a few hours later it felt even better. IT was AMAZING!

4) Calming lotions, Nourishing Oils & Soothing Skincare

When your skin is angry it is all about healing and repairing. You don't want to use too many essential oils because they can further irritate the skin, but in very low dilutions it can heal and soothe.

Cleansing: Pre- cleanse with an oil cleanser of olive oil with a few drops of lavender & then wash with

Earth Harbor Rose Bay Soap

Toner: Earth Harbor Rose Toner - Spritz after cleansing but also throughout the day

Treatment: Myrrh Oil - apply a few drops of this liquid gold and treat certain areas & Earth Harbor Natural

Helios serum

Moisturize: Raw Coconut Oil blend with low dilutions of guaiacwood, thyme and lavender.

5) Supplements

Be sure to up your vitamin game. Be sure to be using high quality multivitamins, omegas, digestive enzymes, pre & probiotics and a phenomenal collagen. These supplements are the foundational building blocks to our bodies. They support the function and health of our body and help regulate a healthy and strong body systems.

The biggest and most challenging part of dealing with stressed skin is to try to not stress out even more about the skin.

Take the actions to heal your body from the inside out, nourish and feed it with proper food and supplements and treat it with additional actions that can soothe, heal and calm the skin.

If you need support with challenges like this and guidance to dig down into how to address similar skin issue, please schedule a free skin consultation with me so we can discuss your skin issues, identify your skin goals and address next steps. Please book a session today!