With two square meters surface and 3.6 kg weight, the skin is
the largest organ of the human body [1]. As first human organ to
develop it represents the first line of communication within the womb.
Some experts even call it the “social organ”. Culturally, skin defines
our social standard of beauty. Youthful and smooth skin signals health
and vitality [2].
The social pressure to be beautiful is used by global skincare markets, which make up a $121 billion industry [3]. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, around 15 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States in 2013, 13.4 million of which being minimally invasive including Botox injections and chemical peels [4], with experts predicting an upward trend for the future [5]. Out of all the money spent for beauty, skin products are at the top. Beauty-wise our skin seems to be the most valuable organ to us. After all, it is the first thing people see.
The Deeper Reasons for Skin Problems
Let’s face it! We are skincare addicts. We love the idea that we can just apply aloe vera, jojoba and some Q10 and look young and fresh. We may not know what these ingredients actually do or where they come from, but if the package says it’s anti-aging, it’s worth a try. These products, however, rather treat the symptoms than the cause. We elegantly overlook in our everyday lives that there are causes to our (skin) problems that we could treat if only we cared to look a bit deeper.
During embryonic development, skin cells and cells of the nervous system develop from the same embryonic tissue, the ectoderm [6]. The strong connection between brain and skin is thus not surprising. If you have ever blushed from embarrassment or itched from agitation, you’ve experienced a typical phenotype of the brain-skin-interaction.
A huge contributor of skin problems and diseases is chronic psychological stress. Contrary to common belief, your stress system is absolutely necessary and extremely beneficial to your health. It ensures survival in the face of danger. However, problems start occurring when this system is activated over a long period of time and stress has become chronic [7]. There are several ways in which chronic stress can influence your skin.
Stress changes eating habits. Stress causes "emotional eating", which refers to eating high-carbohydrate, high-calorie foods with low nutritional value due to emotional stress. Such a diet can lead to acne and impure skin [8].
Stress reduces blood circulation in the skin. During stress, blood accumulates in vital organs providing them with oxygen and energy to allow the body a quick reaction to the stressor. As the skin is not life-saving in most threatening situations, it is less well irrigated and dries out quicker, making it dull and rough [9].
The negative effects of cortisol. Cortisol levels normally undergo daily oscillation with peak level in the early morning and lowest level around midnight. Under stress, these oscillations are impaired and significantly up-regulated cortisol reduces anti-inflammatory processes in the skin [10]. Furthermore, cortisol increases the skin’s oil production, which can exacerbate acne. Cortisol also inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone important for the sleep-wake-cycle and a potential effective anti-skin aging compound [11].
Stress causes an increase in free radicals. Free radicals in high quantities attack the healthy skin cells and destroy their membrane. These cells quickly die, leading to saggy, wrinkly skin and more dark spots [11].
Stress speeds up the ageing process. Not only does stress and worrying provoke wrinkle causing facial expressions like frowning [9]. It also increases cortisol, which degrades collagen (for skin strength) and elastin fibers (for skin elasticity).
Skin conditions. Stress can also aggravate precedent skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis, herpes simplex, pruritus (itching) or psoriasis. Many people who suffer from chronic skin disorders report that their symptoms flare up when their stress levels are elevated [6].
The vicious cycle. The stress-related skin conditions can in turn cause psychological distress feeding in a vicious cycle of psychological stress and skin problems. It can be extremely difficult for affected people to break out of this cycle.
This is a lot of bad news for your skin. Does this mean everyone battling with blemished skin or wrinkles needs a therapist? Of course not. Not every skin problem or disease is necessarily stress-related. And there is an obvious flipside to all of this: positive experiences can be beneficial for your skin. An example of this is the famous “love glow”, which is the skin’s response to the release of oxytocin in the brain. Oxytocin is involved in social bonding such as between sexual partners or a mother and her child. It creates a feeling of deep attachment. Oxytocin is thought to reduce the body’s production of cortisol and inflammatory processes in the body that slow healing [12]. More oxytocin potentially leads to fewer skin irritation and may thereby promote the “love glow”.
It is important to recognize these strong interconnections between your brain and your skin, between your internal and external world. Keep in mind that any positive as well as any negative experiences can (quite literally) get under your skin.
By Alena Deuerlein, MSc Student Psychology/Interdisciplinary Neurosciences
Goethe University Frankfurt
[1] http://bit.ly/2nTUkuh
[2] http://bit.ly/2EgUy93
[3] http://prn.to/2B0PST4
[4] http://bit.ly/2EjfBYw
[5] http://bit.ly/2EUBr1y
[6] Shenefelt, Psychol Res Behav Manag, 2010; PMCID:PMC3218765
[7] Anderson, Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1998
[8] http://bit.ly/2G1wAuT
[9] http://bit.ly/2H2H12t
[10] Chen and Lyga, Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets, 2014; PMCID:PMC4082169
[11] Kleszczynski and Fischer, Dermatoendocrinol, 2012; DOI:10.4161/derm.22344[12] http://bit.ly/2EkrIEF
The social pressure to be beautiful is used by global skincare markets, which make up a $121 billion industry [3]. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, around 15 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States in 2013, 13.4 million of which being minimally invasive including Botox injections and chemical peels [4], with experts predicting an upward trend for the future [5]. Out of all the money spent for beauty, skin products are at the top. Beauty-wise our skin seems to be the most valuable organ to us. After all, it is the first thing people see.
The Deeper Reasons for Skin Problems
Let’s face it! We are skincare addicts. We love the idea that we can just apply aloe vera, jojoba and some Q10 and look young and fresh. We may not know what these ingredients actually do or where they come from, but if the package says it’s anti-aging, it’s worth a try. These products, however, rather treat the symptoms than the cause. We elegantly overlook in our everyday lives that there are causes to our (skin) problems that we could treat if only we cared to look a bit deeper.
During embryonic development, skin cells and cells of the nervous system develop from the same embryonic tissue, the ectoderm [6]. The strong connection between brain and skin is thus not surprising. If you have ever blushed from embarrassment or itched from agitation, you’ve experienced a typical phenotype of the brain-skin-interaction.
A huge contributor of skin problems and diseases is chronic psychological stress. Contrary to common belief, your stress system is absolutely necessary and extremely beneficial to your health. It ensures survival in the face of danger. However, problems start occurring when this system is activated over a long period of time and stress has become chronic [7]. There are several ways in which chronic stress can influence your skin.
 |
| via flickr |
Stress changes eating habits. Stress causes "emotional eating", which refers to eating high-carbohydrate, high-calorie foods with low nutritional value due to emotional stress. Such a diet can lead to acne and impure skin [8].
Stress reduces blood circulation in the skin. During stress, blood accumulates in vital organs providing them with oxygen and energy to allow the body a quick reaction to the stressor. As the skin is not life-saving in most threatening situations, it is less well irrigated and dries out quicker, making it dull and rough [9].
The negative effects of cortisol. Cortisol levels normally undergo daily oscillation with peak level in the early morning and lowest level around midnight. Under stress, these oscillations are impaired and significantly up-regulated cortisol reduces anti-inflammatory processes in the skin [10]. Furthermore, cortisol increases the skin’s oil production, which can exacerbate acne. Cortisol also inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone important for the sleep-wake-cycle and a potential effective anti-skin aging compound [11].
Stress causes an increase in free radicals. Free radicals in high quantities attack the healthy skin cells and destroy their membrane. These cells quickly die, leading to saggy, wrinkly skin and more dark spots [11].
Stress speeds up the ageing process. Not only does stress and worrying provoke wrinkle causing facial expressions like frowning [9]. It also increases cortisol, which degrades collagen (for skin strength) and elastin fibers (for skin elasticity).
Skin conditions. Stress can also aggravate precedent skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis, herpes simplex, pruritus (itching) or psoriasis. Many people who suffer from chronic skin disorders report that their symptoms flare up when their stress levels are elevated [6].
The vicious cycle. The stress-related skin conditions can in turn cause psychological distress feeding in a vicious cycle of psychological stress and skin problems. It can be extremely difficult for affected people to break out of this cycle.
The brain and the skin are strongly connected
This is a lot of bad news for your skin. Does this mean everyone battling with blemished skin or wrinkles needs a therapist? Of course not. Not every skin problem or disease is necessarily stress-related. And there is an obvious flipside to all of this: positive experiences can be beneficial for your skin. An example of this is the famous “love glow”, which is the skin’s response to the release of oxytocin in the brain. Oxytocin is involved in social bonding such as between sexual partners or a mother and her child. It creates a feeling of deep attachment. Oxytocin is thought to reduce the body’s production of cortisol and inflammatory processes in the body that slow healing [12]. More oxytocin potentially leads to fewer skin irritation and may thereby promote the “love glow”.
It is important to recognize these strong interconnections between your brain and your skin, between your internal and external world. Keep in mind that any positive as well as any negative experiences can (quite literally) get under your skin.
By Alena Deuerlein, MSc Student Psychology/Interdisciplinary Neurosciences
Goethe University Frankfurt
[1] http://bit.ly/2nTUkuh
[2] http://bit.ly/2EgUy93
[3] http://prn.to/2B0PST4
[4] http://bit.ly/2EjfBYw
[5] http://bit.ly/2EUBr1y
[6] Shenefelt, Psychol Res Behav Manag, 2010; PMCID:PMC3218765
[7] Anderson, Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1998
[8] http://bit.ly/2G1wAuT
[9] http://bit.ly/2H2H12t
[10] Chen and Lyga, Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets, 2014; PMCID:PMC4082169
[11] Kleszczynski and Fischer, Dermatoendocrinol, 2012; DOI:10.4161/derm.22344[12] http://bit.ly/2EkrIEF
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