Everyone encounters stressful situations, whether that be working with difficult managers, relationship problems, child rearing, a family death, bills and taking our pets to the vet. Life is full of everyday problems. While some people have access to ways that relieve their stress, others don’t. It’s normal to deal with stress on occasion, however, leaving your stress levels unchecked can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, obesity and depression.
Unfortunately, Black women suffer from what’s called chronic stress, where we consistently feel overwhelmed and pressured for long periods of time. When this happens, the hormone cortisol, which triggers our “flight or fight response,” is constantly being produced in our body. Not only does chronic stress hurt our bodies on the inside, but we can also start to exhibit problems on the outside. chronic stress can especially affect Black women’s skin in adverse ways.
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Recently, AVEENO sat down with Beauty and Skincare Expert, Editor and Entrepreneur, Felicia Walker, and Dr. Angela Ford, Chief Program Officer of the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) on how emotions can affect our skin.
In particular, she believes that darker skin is especially vulnerable to stress levels, given the challenges that Black Women face in today’s world. There are three ways in which chronic stress affects our skin.
Walker and Dr. Ford note that stress can cause a wide variety of surface-level symptoms. In Black skin, unmanaged stress leaves our skin feeling itchy and dry.
Sabrina Henry, Aveeno’s principal scientist, reports that “71% of adults share that they have sensitive skin.” Though, that number has doubled in the last 20 years.
However, Walker argues that Black skin shows a different response to stress than other races. Furthermore, the prolonged condition can lead to visible symptoms of acne and eczema in Black women. Unfortunately, these skin problems are more severe and frequent in dark skin.
Another symptom caused by chronic stress can bear the appearance of looking tired. There’s a reason why doctors tell us to make sure we get plenty of sleep.
Unfortunately, prolonged stress can lead to insomnia, which then causes dehydration of the skin. Some studies even show that
in Black women chronic stress that stems from acts of racism and discrimination can add years on to our features.
Consequently, we develop baggy, puffy, or dark circles beneath our eyes. More wrinkles even appear. There’s nothing more important than our beauty rest and taking care of our bodies.
Additionally, prolonged stress can cause the appearance of hyperpigmentation spots, sometimes even large patches. In particular, Black skin has always been vulnerable to such skin issues due to the amount of melanin our bodies produce.
Unfortunately, the introduction of stress can either worsen or lead to hyperpigmentation. Research shows that “the synthesis of melanin can be deregulated by an excess of cortisol or a high concentration of inflammatory molecules.” In others, it can throw our bodies out of whack. No woman wants those problems.
Managing our stress is more important than we think. As Black women, we especially need to protect our energy in this modern day and age. While we weather through some harsh and rough times on a constant basis, we are changing the narrative. All skin types—blemishes and all, are beautiful.
According to Beauty and Skincare Expert Felicia Walker of Black Women’s Health Imperative, our chronic conditions don’t define us.
“What we focus on is caring for our skin and understanding that your skin can still be hydrated, healthy and balanced even if it’s showing signs of distress,” she says.
The doctor notes that there are ways for us to care for our skin and make us feel good.
“Having a skincare routine – even if [your] skin is not perfect – the act itself of caring for yourself can make you feel good about your skin, no matter what state it is in.”
Stress doesn’t rule our lives. Instead, we’re in control, no matter what life throws at us.
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