Video by drwendyaesthetics

This is what could happen to your face if you're chronically stressed. Your skin might go from bright and smooth to rounder, duller, more breakouts, and sometimes even growing more facial hair. Your skin and face respond to both skincare and hormonal signals. When you have chronically elevated cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone,

it can start to show in your appearance. You might notice more puffiness and fluid retention. Your skin might feel thinner or more fragile, and over time collagen breakdown can happen more readily. The good news is that you can seek medical help from professionals if you're concerned about any condition that may be contributing to elevated stress hormones.

Because in aesthetic medicine, we can treat texture, volume, breakouts. But if cortisol is persistently elevated, we're often working against your internal drivers. So if your skin is changing, then it's probably your body telling you something.