How Muscle Tension Affects Skin Appearance and How to Fix It

You don’t have to be a medical practitioner to realize that muscle tension and stress have various effects on our bodies. However, you may not realize how muscle tension affects the skin and to what degree. It turns out that long-term stress and muscle tension can lead to everything from acute acne breakouts to premature aging. Of course, all of these are issues we’d prefer to avoid, so let’s dive into ways you can maintain skin fitness and deal with issues that arise from muscle tension!

The Connection Between Stress, Muscle Tension, and Skin Health

In general, tension is almost never a good thing. When we feel tense for a while, our body automatically releases adrenaline and cortisol, and these hormones affect various bodily functions. It’s what we colloquially call the “flight or fight” response to stressful situations. And when it happens, our blood circulation changes — as does our natural oil production for the skin.

It’s one of the reasons why teenagers are so prone to acne breakouts. When we feel stressed out, our body produces more sebum, which makes our skin more oily. As a result, acne breakouts are more likely. If you have naturally oily skin, you’ll also need special skincare for oily complexion to deal with the effects of stress properly.

Plus, stress makes muscle tension more likely — especially around your face. Just think of how often you clench your jaw when stressed out. And the same thing happens to your shoulders and neck, even if you don’t notice it at the time. This tension makes our blood circulation less effective.

Premature Aging

Ultimately, the combo of reduced circulation, pores clogged with oil, and hormonal reactions make it far more difficult to maintain a proper skin appearance.

Ever noticed how chronically stressed people age prematurely? This is primarily dry skin, which makes them seem older and more rugged. This often results from weakened skin barriers, which also happen due to stress.

Consequently, our skin can’t retain water effectively — and it reacts more harshly to weather and other external conditions. So, the headline is: reduce stress if you want better-looking skin!

Oily Skin and Breakouts

Let’s see how muscle tension affects skin appearance in people with specific skin types. For starters, we’ll cover folks with oily skin.

Unfortunately, oily skin makes you especially vulnerable to stress. As mentioned above, heightened cortisol levels make your skin produce more oil. The result is clogged pores that often create acne. More than 80% of teenagers and 25% of adults face the problem during their lifetimes.

The clogged pores can cause muscle tension in your facial muscles. Ever wondered why skin appearance can be particularly rough around the jawline and forehead? This is where toxins are often trapped in your facial skin. These toxins make breakups more likely.

With that in mind, let’s move on to what you’re really here for — ways to counteract these effects.

Dealing With Oily Skin

Any professional makeup artist or skincare aficionado can tell you to focus on:

● Non-comedogenic makeup,

● Oil-free moisturizers, and

● Gentle cleansing.

However, you must also address the root cause of the problem, not just its effects. You need to reduce muscle tension with proper exercise, which can also help you reduce stress, which is the

essential issue causing your skin problems.

Dry and Sensitive Skin

Next up, we’ve got dry and sensitive skin, which can be just as easily upset by stress. Knowing how muscle tension affects skin appearance is useful here as well. As we’ve discussed above, stress can compromise the integrity of your skin barrier.

Over time, this will make your skin more sensitive to pollutants and allergens since it won’t have the necessary moisture to protect itself from these external threats. You may suffer from eczema breakouts as a result or, in milder cases, general tightness and flakiness.

How do you deal with this issue? Since moisture is your main problem here, ensure your skincare routine includes plenty of hydration through different products. Also, you can address a

key part of the underlying issue by strengthening your skin barrier. Stuff like hyaluronic acid and

ceramides can help with this.

Dealing With Stress and Dry Skin

Of course, ultimately, this is still probably about stress. So, while you do everything else, also try to reduce stress through various techniques. Most of these will also help you reduce muscle tension in the process.

A well-hydrated skincare routine with soothing ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid can strengthen the skin barrier. Additionally, stress management techniques such as mindfulness meditation or progressive muscle relaxation can help prevent worsening skin sensitivity.

You can use all kinds of exercises to reduce stress, from the usual cardio like running or swimming to fun stuff like dance classes or yoga. Deep breathing techniques are also a great way to calm yourself down daily when you don’t have time for an hour or two of exercise.

How to Reverse Stress-Induced Skin Damage

Now that you know how to deal with muscle tension and its subsequent effects on your skin. It all comes down to working out, stretching, relaxation techniques, and stress reduction.

However, in that process, you should also do everything in your power to repair the damage

your skin has already sustained. To do so, you’ll need a consistent skincare routine. We’re talking about something you adopt as a regular part of your day, not something you do a couple

of times a week.

Remember — with skincare, success comes down to two things:

1. Properly evaluating your skin and its particular needs and

2. Being consistent and patient in your approach.

Maintaining skin fitness will be more difficult if you follow fads and adopt a haphazard approach.

Remember, your skin health is the result of an extremely specific combo of genetics,

environmental circumstances, and your general health. As a result, your skin needs a specific

approach, which only you can deduce effectively.

Wrapping Up

How muscle tension affects skin appearance is complex — and not something you can master overnight. However, you can learn a few things about how muscle tightness is caused by stress and how both reduce the quality of your skin on a daily basis. With the Internet and today’s huge lineup of skincare products, you’ll have no trouble developing a proper routine to improve your skin health. However, it needs to be specific to your particular needs. Also, you need to complement skincare with exercise, stress reduction, and a generally healthy approach to life.