Effects of stress

Many of us live a stressful lifestyle without really being aware of it. Life in the fast lane often means we eat quick fixes of carbohydrates, fats, salt and sugar, and rely on alcohol and caffeine, followed by drugs to get back on track. This hard living will soon show in our bodies.

The face is the first place to register emotional or physical distress, as furrows and creases between the hairline and neck. Everyone responds in a similar way, but unlike a child or teenager, whose skin bounces smoothly back into place once the problem has passed, adult skin, short on springy tissues, hangs on to the stress, embedding it deep in the dermis. The deceleration in blood flow and lymph drainage caused by repeated stress shows not just in pallor and puffiness, but in the slower regeneration of skin cells.

This, and other long-term consequences of stress — increased blood pressure and cholesterol, lowered metabolism and immunity, blood sugar imbalance and depression - adds years to your body.