When it comes to premature aging, one of the top offenders has to be stress. It’s extremely damaging to our health and long term plays havoc with the skin. Regardless of the skin products one uses, ageless skin care is not possible without first managing stress and second, providing the skin with the right nutrition. In fact, both are so closely linked that much of the stress we feel is compounded by the foods we eat. But let’s first see what happens when we are stressed and how good nutrition is possibly the ultimate in skin care.
During a stressful situation a number of things happen. Our heart rate and blood pressure increase as the adrenal glands pump adrenaline into the body. The stress hormone cortisol is released and to provide fuel for a possible ‘fight or flight’ response both fat and sugar rush into the bloodstream. Now in a heightened state of alertness we are ready to deal with anything but herein lies the problem! Our response to a situation often far exceeds that required of the situation playing havoc with our hormonal systems and long term health.
Take for example the fat left in the bloodstream after a stressful situation. Because the blood is now thicker it is less able to flow through the blood vessels placing a strain on the heart.
Also, because not all of the fat gets burned off it ends up us plaque in the arteries with the inevitable result of hypertension and the possibility of a stroke. This is why exercise is so good at both alleviating and preventing stress. The fat and sugar are used up by the muscles during exercise allowing the blood to flow more freely.
What has this to do with skin care?
More than most people think. Good circulation is essential for young looking skin and exercise is just one way to get the blood flowing more freely. Another would be deep breathing through the nose. High up in the nasal pharynx is a rich source of nitric oxide. When you breathe deeply through the nose the nitric oxide enters the body and causes dilation of the arteries, another major contributor to skin health.
The stress hormone cortisol is known to cause degredation of skin collagen. By inhibiting collagen synthesis, cortisol can cause fragile vessels and thinning of the skin. The blood vessels become susceptible to rupture so the skin bruises easily. A lot of skin products (moisturisers, skin exfoliators etc) include chemicals like Tretinoin (an acid form of vitamin A) to increase collagen production in the dermis. But this is just trying to treat the condition and does not get to the root of the problem.
For optimum skin health there’s probably nothing better than changing to a diet rich in complex carbohydrates. The brain works best when blood-glucose levels are stable. The more stable the less stress you feel (remember it’s not the situation but the response to the situation that counts), the less likely you’ll be rushing for the temporary relief of a sugar fix. Simple carbohydrates (refined sugar, flour etc) play havoc with blood-glucose levels, our stress levels, our health and ultimately our skin. Complex carbohydrates even the playing field and ensure the skin is given the nutrition it needs from the inside out!
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