3 Ways To Help Your Skin Be Stress-Free

In exploring the subject of stress-free skin I knew I had to speak with artist and master esthetician Jackie Pesce at the Life Spa in Schaumburg, Ill. Jackie has been in the profession for years and has worked for numerous skin care lines. She coaches her peers on the usage and presentation of Aveda, BioElements, Murad, Kristin Florian, Phytomer and just recently Hydrafacial. Specializing in acne and anti-aging, Jackie is passionate about her career and loves to work one on one with clients.

YASOU: Hello Jackie, thank you for taking the time to chat with me about how to help your skin be stress free.
Jackie: My pleasure. The skin is the largest organ of our body. It is constantly exposed to the environment with UVA, UVB, UVC rays and pollution attacking it everyday. It is also affected by what we eat and what we feel. The end result of our everyday lives comes out in our skin. It’ s not surprising that healthy, radiant looking skin is WORK.

YASOU: It really is work. We need the right information. First, I think we should know what the signs of stressed skin are.

Jackie: Signs of stressed skin are acne (breakouts), redness, broken capillaries, hyperpigmentation, wrinkling, sagging, and lack of radiance. These are some signs.

YASOU: Is stressed skin age related?

Jackie: Stress to the skin is not age related but you certainly see more signs of it as an adult.
YASOU: Are females more prone to having stressed skin than men?

Jackie: Females have hormonal fluctuations. This can cause breakouts in the skin on a monthly basis. So, females are more prone because of this.

YASOU: Now that we have a stronger understanding of what stressed skin is how can we help our skin stay stress free? Tell us your top ways to achieve stress free skin.

Jackie: First, reduce everyday stress. A hint for coping with everyday stress is to become aware of your breathing. Take a moment to readjust. Begin by breathing deeper and slower. This can help you alleviate the stress you are feeling which in turn relieves your skin.

Second, reduce inflammation. You can do this by cutting out foods that are rich in refined sugar. Foods with refined sugar are high on the glycemic index. They trigger the body’s insulin (blood sugar) level to quickly rise. A high insulin level puts your immune system on alert, triggering the inflammation response. Inflammation of the skin results in stress acne and other stress-induced skin conditions.

My third suggestion is a list of Do’s and Don’ts
Do the following:
1) Get sleep & rest. This is important to rejuvenate the cells.
2) Exercise. Keeps the blood nourishing cells; helps to regulate hormones.
3) Watch your diet. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
4) Take supplements: daily vitamin C, and Omega 3’s
5) Cleanse. Hydrate topically as well as drinking water.
6) Use skin care formulated for you skin type and what it is experiencing.
7) Apply topical antioxidants.
8) Wear moisturizer and sunscreen.
9) Take time for yourself, calm your mind and do something you enjoy.

Avoid these:
1) Smoke
2) Fried and processed food
3) Refined sugar
4) Drinking alcohol to excess
5) Excess amounts of red meat.

YASOU: Jackie, thank you for taking the time to chat with me. It was truly informative.

Jackie: Terry, thank you so much for your passion in skin care and for developing YASOU. I wish you success and look forward to more natural organic skin care products from YASOU.