4 Ways Stress Eating Affects Your Skin

Eating a tub of chocolate ice cream when you’re anxious is cathartic and makes you feel like main character in a rom-com. But, what the movies don’t show is the morning that follows a night of stress eating, when all the high-carb and sugary foods that satisfy your taste buds have wreaked havoc on your skin.

Read on to know the side effects of being an emotional eater and how to keep your skin in a good mood, even while enjoying occasional treats!

Before you blame your hormones for your pimple flare-ups, think back to what you ate last weekend. Foods containing lots of carbs and refined sugars rank high on the glycemic index and can set the stage for an acne breakout.

It doesn’t help that this food group is usually the top choice for a stress-eating episode, but do you need to cut ties with soda and pizza for the sake of your skin? Not really. Eat these foods in moderation and avoid bingeing. When the pressure takes a toll on your acne-prone skin, manage your zits with Eskinol Pimple Relief Facial Wash. Formulated with cica and green tea extracts, it cleanses your pores from dirt and stops pimples in their tracks. That’s one less problem for you!

When you indulge in alcohol and salty foods to numb your feelings, your body becomes dehydrated. Naturally, the organs in your body, including your skin, hold on to as much water as possible to keep functioning. The result: feeling so parched your throat hurts and a puffy face you can’t unsee.

Drink a glass of water to hydrate your body and freeze your face roller for 30 minutes. Once it’s cold, massage your face with the roller in upward motions. This relaxing ritual depuffs your face, reduces inflammation, and tightens the appearance of your skin.

One of the most common myths about the skin-diet relationship is that greasy food makes your skin oily. It may come as a shocker, but eating non-healthy fats can actually dry up your skin. Stress-eating fried foods like chicken nuggets, french fries, or lumpia causes inflammation, which leads to dry, dull, and itchy skin.

Your first course of action? Put a pause on using skincare products with alcohol, which dries your skin even more. Instead, use a two-in-one cleanser that hydrates the skin, like POND'S Aloe Vera Jelly Cleanser. This product is 100% alcohol- and paraben-free and enriched with vitamin B3 to leave your fresh clean, smooth, and fresh.

Yup, your sweet tooth, if left unchecked, can add a few years to your skin appearance. This phenomenon is known as sugar face – and no, that’s not a flirty pet name. According to a 2022 study, having excess glucose in the skin fibers can lead to glycation, a process in which sugars alter your collagen and elastin. The usually flexible skin collagen then becomes rigid, resulting in premature signs of aging.

Swearing off foods high in sugar means not having rice, noodles, ice cream, and many snacks ever again. Before you take that huge leap, try cutting your sugar intake in half, and you’ll see improvements in your skin. Be gentler with your skin care, too. Instead of rubbing off your makeup vigorously, lather up with Dove Facial Cleansing Mousse Moisture Care using circular motions. The creamy foam removes impurities lodged deep within the pores and infuses it with moisture to keep your skin smooth and radiant.

Let out all your feelings — the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s the first step to growing and moving forward from the past. And if you find yourself on the verge of stress eating, that’s okay. When your skin sends an SOS, cut back on the junk and give your skin a break.