Can stress cause your face to swell up like the 'moon'?

Does stress really make your face swell up and become round like the moon? - Photo: CNN

"Your face looks like the moon, maybe very round," one woman asserted on TikTok about the effects of stress. "Your face might look swollen and inflamed."

Can stress affect your face?

"My face is puffed up like a balloon," another woman shared in a post. "That's due to high cortisol levels, also known as high stress. When I went through the COVID-19 pandemic, my face was like this too."

In today's fast-paced society, where people rush and cram more and more things onto their daily to-do lists, constant stress can become a frightening reality. But does stress really make your face puff up?

"Although chronic stress can lead to increased cortisol levels in the body, those levels usually don't rise high enough to cause the 'moon face' phenomenon," says dermatologist Rajani Katta, assistant clinical professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

"Water retention can be caused by many factors, from diet to medical conditions such as kidney disease. Some prescription medications can also lead to water retention," Katta said.

"The 'moon' is actually a consequence of Cushing's syndrome, a condition in which the body has extremely high cortisol levels, Katta explains, often due to prolonged use of prescription medications such as the steroid prednisone or, less commonly, cases of overactive adrenal glands."

In addition to a round face, Cushing's syndrome can also cause excess fat around the neck, a fatty hump between the shoulders, and obesity in the upper body, according to the Johns Hopkins Hospital website.

"For medical causes of water retention, treating the underlying cause will help. Your doctor may also prescribe diuretics to help your body eliminate excess water," Katta says.

Bad habits can stress the skin.

While elevated cortisol levels from daily stress may not be the cause of "moon face," this hormone can harm the skin in other ways.

Stress hormones like cortisol can cause acne, dull skin, accelerate aging, and worsen skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, according to dermatologist Whitney Bowe, assistant clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

"Consistently high cortisol levels have been shown to inhibit the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and healthy lipids like ceramides," Bowe shared with CNN in a previous interview.

"Collagen is like the framework of the skin, preventing wrinkles," Bowe says. "Hyaluronic acid keeps the skin plump, and ceramides are healthy fats that form a barrier to prevent skin permeability, helping to lock in moisture."

People often snack on salty foods when stressed, which may explain puffy eyes and faces, as well as swollen legs and feet, experts say. "If your face is swollen, one of the first questions I would ask is about your sodium intake."

High sodium intake can lead to water retention throughout the body, says Katta, author of the book "Brightening: A Dermatologist's Guide to a Wholefood Diet for Younger-Looking Skin." "If it's just due to overeating salt this past weekend, then returning to your normal diet should fix the problem within a few days," she adds.

Another cause is eating too much sugar and processed carbohydrates, which "unfortunately can damage the skin's collagen over time, through a process called glycation," Katta says.

"Foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties can help provide an extra layer of protection for your skin and help boost the skin's defense and repair systems," she suggests.

Tips for reducing stress

Experts say there are many ways to reduce stress that benefit the skin. Exercise increases blood flow to the face and helps release endorphins, hormones that make the body feel happy.

Exercise also pushes oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body, including the skin, helping to promote skin barrier repair, experts say. Additionally, yoga, meditation, and deep breathing are all known to help reduce cortisol production and stress levels.

Quality sleep is also a way to improve skin and reduce stress, according to sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, clinical associate professor of sleep medicine and pulmonary care at Huntington Hospital in California.

"It's called beauty sleep because sleep regenerates your skin at night," Dasgupta previously told CNN. "There's a hormone called growth hormone that's released during the deeper stages of sleep, stimulating the growth of new skin cells."

Adults over 18 need at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to maintain good health, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lack of sleep, along with irregular sleep patterns, is not only linked to stressed skin but also increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, dementia, and mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cang-thang-co-the-lam-guong-mat-sung-len-nhu-mat-trang-20241023110724661.htm