Does Stress Affect Your Skin?

I used to privately scoff at being told that stress could do physical damage to your body, specifically your skin and hair.

I know it could do psychological damage of course, as I did experience it myself- forgetting an entire page’s worth of questions on a test, having meltdowns, and headaches.

But I just couldn’t grasp the concept of stress ruining your skin. I mean, maybe it took out your inner glow from being stressed out and all, but it can’t really make you breakout, can it?

Wrong.

I found this out by comparing my skin’s condition before and after visiting Pakistan.

Here are the pros and cons of each country:

Canada:

• Less polluted air and water
• Cleaner environment
• School stress
• Home stress

Pakistan:

• Polluted air
• Polluted water
• Dirtier environment
• No stress

Surprisingly, my skin looked better in Pakistan then it did in Canada. I had little tiny bumps on my skin in Canada’s airport, normal for me, but it was mostly clear as I’m a skincare freak.

A week in Pakistan later, my skin was like glass.

Alive.

Clear.

Smooth.

Perfect.

Wet, dewy, glowy, everything.

Everyone asked me if I edited my photos or found a miracle product back in Canada.

No, I had no stress on hands.