Stress.  There’s just no getting away from it.  Women have more stress than men at least partially because they’re so hard on themselves and try so hard to please others.  All that stress shows–in fact, it’s written all over your face!

Problem:  Chronic stress triggers a hormone called cortisol, which reduces the ability of the skin to retain water.  The result:  a dull, dry complexion.

Solutions:

1.  Although it seems counter-intuitive, reduce the amount or frequency of moisturizer.  It causes your skin to stop collecting water from the food and water that you consume.

2.  Avoid the use of hot water and highly fragranced skincare products.

3.  Don’t use cleansers that strip your skin of its natural oils.

Problems:  A furrowed brow, fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes.  All of this may be caused by a decrease in the amount of collagen and elastin fibers, as well as increased dryness (which exacerbates the appearance of wrinkles)

Solutions:

1.  Stimulate the production of collagen and elastic with active Vitamin A (ZO Skin Health’s Radical Night Repair Plus) or Rx Retin-A.

2.  Drink more water.

Problem: Chronic stress causes or complicates other skin problems, including rosacea, acne, eczema and psoriasis.  There’s a new term for this–psychodermatology–skin disorders that are related to your thoughts or feelings.

Solutions:

1. For acne–use products specifically for oily or acne-prone skin.  Dr. Obagi’s favorite cleanser is ZO Skin Health’s Exfoliating Cleanser.  Cleanse twice a day, but avoid the use of hot water.  Slough off the surface skin cells that trap debris–try the ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish.  Apply a product that has salicylic acid–like Dr. Obagi’s TE pads, which help to break down the sebum.  Once a day is sufficient for maintenance; twice a day if you have active or persistent flare ups.

2.  For rosacea, or if your skin appears red in the nose, cheeks, forehead–there are lots of OTC that claim to reduce redness, not as many that really work.  Dr. Obagi is a fan of Growth Factor Serum to reduce redness.  If a prescription is required, he frequently recommends baby-doses of Accutane.

For advanced medical conditions or persistent problems, see a dermatologist.

This is a stressful time.  You can’t take care of all of the problems, but you can take care of yourself.  Physicians are now saying that strict dieting is very stressful–so take it easy; don’t be too hard on yourself.   Take a walk, put a slice of cucumber over your eyes and close your eyes for a few minutes, have a glass of wine, enjoy some me-time.