Soothing stressed skin

Women everywhere are under stress. It tends to sneak up on you. Suddenly you're working faster and playing harder, not noticing the pollution that's being sucked into your skin, the air-conditioning that's drying it out, the sun's ultra-violet rays that kill your cells, or the late-night drinks and smoke dehydrating your entire body.

Signs of stressed skin can include lack of lustre, resilience and vitality; fine, dry lines around the eyes, mouth and across the forehead; deep, dark circles beneath the eyes; dry, flaky skin and a dull, uneven complexion. Once you've given some thought to your skin's unique needs, take a closer look at the stress in your life — both from your environment and other daily factors.

Stress is one of the biggest causes of the skin ageing prematurely. It affects the delicate process by which nutrients are transformed into bodily tissue, including the skin. Anything you do to diminish stress will not only reward you with enhanced beauty, but will increase your health and vitality as well.

Many of the changes in skin we consider a normal part of ageing, such as wrinkles, pigmentation marks or brown spots, are in fact caused by environmental stress factors – and are therefore quite preventable. Pollution, sunlight, alcohol, cigarette smoke (even if you're just exposed to it from others), as well as chemicals in toiletries and water, all compromise the skin. While taking steps to avoid these negative influences seems relatively straightforward, managing daily stress can be trickier.

When the body is under stress, it releases a number of stress hormones, a response which is useful for short-term stressful situations, but harmful if sustained over longer periods. Hormonal changes can cause a number of specific problems, such as hair loss, acne, thinning of the skin, itching, excessive sweating and premature wrinkles, or skin disorders such as psoriasis, hives or shingles.

Through the language of hormones, the skin and immune system “know” exactly what we think and feel at every moment, and reflect this through their functioning. Prolonged stress will result in a number of long-term changes in both skin and hair. The body will redirect nutrients from the skin to the vital organs, such as the heart, brain and lungs – a process which, over time, deprives the skin of the nourishment it needs. Extended periods of stress also affect metabolic functions, slowing down the renewal of skin cells and causing the skin to look dull and grey. In addition stress upsets the body's fluid balance, making the skin sag and look dehydrated.

The stress response also increases free radical production and the associated damage to vital cellular structures and functions of the skin. Free radical damage not only shows in our appearance, it also leads to gradual deterioration of body structures and functions — the source of most chronic conditions, from heart disease to cancer, auto-immune disorders and arthritis.

One of the biggest commitments you can make to reduce stress is simply keeping up your exercise routine and doing yoga. Yoga postures induce deep relaxation, helping prevent fatigue and strain. Deep breathing normalises blood pressure and helps relieve tension-related conditions such as headaches, backaches, insomnia and indigestion. Meditation offers another skincare bonus: the deep relaxation involved in meditating helps balance several of the nerves involved in blood circulation, imparting a glow and radiance to the complexion. The key is finding and maintaining the type of meditation that suits you.

Also essential, of course, is following a proper cleansing routine. A daily skincare routine requires no more than 10 minutes and involves only three simple steps each evening and morning: