Stressed skin can look different for different people. "Your skin is the ultimate map of your internal health," Dr. Cheung said. "Stress activates your internal flight-or-fight response, which shuts down nonessential processes." The reason acne is one of the most common ways your body shows internal stress is because it affects the rate at which your skin cells turn over. If your body is stressed out, she said, your skin will show it.
Signs include an increase in oil production, which leads to those pesky pimples, as well as dullness and irritation in your complexion. "Stress causes your body to make hormones like cortisol, which leads to many changes in the skin including increased transepidermal water loss, dryness, eczema, psoriasis flares, rosacea, and acne," Dr. Marmur said.
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