Here's Why Stress Is Killing...The Way You Look
You’ve got five million emails to answer, deadlines out the wazoo, and a sample sale spree to pay off asap— so basically, you’re in a constant state of WTF. We get it. It’s called stress, people. And there’s a reason you feel it. “Our body protects us from a stressful situation by starting the stress response and releasing hormones to prepare our body for emergency action,” says David E. Bank, MD, a dermatologist and director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic, and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, New York.
Sweaty palms, a crazy fast heartbeat, and your mind reeling is your body’s natural way to help you not only cope with whatever comes your way, but totally rock and make it out alive and well, on the other side. The problem is that it’s not acute, one-time stress that you’ve got to worry about as much as never-ending worrying. It’s when your body finds itself constantly facing stress that you end up facing issues with not only your health but also your appearance.
“When you face a stressor, all functions that are deemed unnecessary to fight off the emergency are put on hold,” explains Bank. “Then, when you face prolonged stress, your body never gets the opportunity to return to homeostasis — so you could have breakouts, high blood pressure, weight gain, and wrinkles all the time.”
Photo: Courtesy of Dolce and Gabbana
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