Psychological stress is a natural response of the body to situations perceived as threatening or emotionally challenging. When we are stressed, our bodies release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, triggering a cascade of physiological reactions that can have harmful effects on our health.
Did you know that psychological stress can have a negative impact on skin and scalp health?
The skin expresses glucocorticoid receptors to respond to elevated cortisol levels caused by stress. Additionally, it is highly innervated, enabling it to directly react to psychological stress through the sympathetic nervous system. This response includes the release of neuropeptides such as Substance P (SP) and alpha-CGRP (aCGRP) at the skin level.
Inflammation and Skin Aging: The Roles of Cortisol and Stress
Exposure to high levels of cortisol and neuropeptides in the skin and scalp leads to inflammation and disruption of the skin barrier. This can directly affect the appearance of the skin and scalp, promoting premature alopecia or graying of hair, skin aging (wrinkles, thinning skin), rashes (hives), dryness, itching, and stimulating the skin’s sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. Excess sebum production can clog pores and cause acne. Additionally, psychological stress can trigger or exacerbate a wide range of skin conditions, including eczema, alopecia, psoriasis, and rosacea. Changes in skin appearance directly affect our self-perception in society, leading to additional psychological stress, which in turn aggravates the skin’s appearance.
Cosmetic Solutions for Skin Stress
One potential way to disrupt this vicious cycle is through the use of cosmetics designed to prevent skin alterations. However, the ability to fully understand the local mechanisms within the skin is hindered by the limited availability of in vitro and ex vivo models that accurately replicate psychological stress.
Unveiling the Potential of Cosmetics
To address this, Oxiproteomics has developed and validated specific ex vivo models of treated skin explants. These advanced models help to delineate the impact of psychological stress on skin health through specific inflammaging and itching biomarkers, as well as epidermal barrier disruption.
Contact us to get more information about our ex vivo model of chronic psychological stress.