All about beauty

Stress. A word that holds such relevance to us all in today’s hectic world. Endless commitments; hours to work; relationships to juggle. Stress can not only affect us all on an emotional level, but it can also have an impact on our skin. So many women come to me with skin concerns and often stress can be one of the most common causes of breakouts, dry skin or the early onset of lines and wrinkles.
This week I thought I would offer a little therapy (skin therapy that is!), and practical advice on how to limit the stress on our skin and help us all achieve that beauty holy grail of looking younger for longer.
UVA and UVB are the most ageing stressors to skin and we are exposed to them daily, whether the sun is shining or not. Protecting your skin from the damaging effects of these rays will maintain the health of our skin cells. As well as the damaging rays of the sun we are also subjected to other environmental and emotional assaults that can stress our skin causing damage that can accelerate ageing.
Pollution is hugely damaging. A study by the University of Birmingham and the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan of female office workers and female highway toll station workers showed increased oxidative skin damage in the toll workers exposed to daily traffic exhaust and cumulative traffic density, compared to the office workers.
And studies performed by the Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan on healthy workers revealed escalating oxidative skin damage in female workers was significantly related to increased workload and psychological stress. If you’ve ever spent your day at work daydreaming of all the benefits of a life of leisure now you can add one more.
A clinical study conducted by Estee Lauder also showed that happily married women look better for it. The study of healthy married women showed that those who felt emotionally stressed and didn’t perceive themselves as happy had slower skin barrier recovery rates than their happily married counterparts.
Interesting stuff so what can we do to protect ourselves? My top tips are:
- Use an SPF every day. You can use a sunscreen or make sure your moisturiser or foundation contains one.
- Look out for antioxidants in skincare products as these provide protection from pollution and free radicals and boost the condition of skin cells.
- If you want to comfort and uplift your skin, look for products with comforting scents and texture, such as reishi mushroom extract and ginseng – these really help to lift you both emotionally and nurture your skin.