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Skin Stressors

Skin Stressors

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From urban smog to tight work deadlines, outer and inner stressors are synonymous with modern life. While we’re churning and burning in an effort to keep up, maximize time and succeed, we create environments that are detrimental to our skin.

 

90% of the global population breathes polluted air – we’re looking at you, city-dwellers – but it doesn’t stop there. Between dust, cleaning chemicals and a lack of ventilation, indoor air can actually be up to 5x more polluted than the air outside. We know the impact these factors can have on our internal organs, creating temporary or permanent damage that affect our ability to function. But, what about our skin, the body’s largest organ? When it comes to pollution, our skin doesn’t escape unscathed.

 

The Body’s Stress Response

When skin is constantly exposed to visible and invisible environmental toxins and common everyday stressors like sleep deprivation and fatigue, it shows. Each time our bodies are stressed, we cycle through an internal fight or flight response where our brains prioritize key bodily functions over skin health and cellular regeneration. During fight or flight mode, our body’s oil production increases, the digestive track shuts down, immune system weakens, and skin immediately gets acidic (aka, BO).

Because we’re no longer a society that’s hunting and gathering and running away from external physical threats, the stress triggers we’re more likely to encounter on a daily basis are things like sitting in traffic, board meetings, homework and late package deliveries. Though seemingly less annoying, our bodies endure these situations 90+ times each day. That’s 90x/day that our body’s oil production kicks into overdrive, often with no outlet (we can’t always leave a meeting to go sweat out the stress).

 

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Some Examples of Daily Skin Stressors

High-fat diet Cleaning chemicals Lack of sleep
Sitting in traffic Pollen Dust
Indoor AC/heating units Windblown debris Unprotected UVA + UVB
Second-hand smoke Auto exhaust Exposure
Nail salons Buying a house Running late
Pet dander Smog Hormones
Mold Coffee Divorce
Dry climates Alcohol
The overall result of skin suffering an onslaught of everyday external and internal stress triggers? Skin dehydration, dark spots, increased sensitivity and a compromised barrier layer that creates a visibly tired, dull, inflamed, irritated and blemish-prone complexion.


The Science Behind Our Skin’s Microbiome

The body is composed of microbiomes responsible for keeping each major area, the gut, mouth and skin, in a healthy, balanced state. As our largest organ, skin’s microbiome is comprised of trillions of healthy bacteria (natural flora) that inhabit our protective barrier responsible for keeping skin clear, smooth and firm. Probiotics (good bacteria) in the microbiome fight off bad bacteria, regulate skin’s pH, protect against environmental damage and improve moisture retention.

Every time our body encounters external or internal stressors, our microbiome gets thrown off balance, which lessens the probiotics’ ability to fight off infection and disease. Repeated stress makes it harder for skin to bounce back (just like when an immune system is less able to fight off the common cold) and results in a chronically stressed-out looking complexion. There are warning signs however, 5 main signals of stressed skin that are more telling than the occasional pimple:
    1. Patchy Dryness - Ex. eczema, psoriasis and dandruff
    2. Inflammation - Ex. skin itchiness and increased sensitivity
    3. Irritation/Redness - Ex. rosacea, hives and rashes
    4. Acne – Ex. beyond-hormonal breakouts and excessively oily skin 
    5. Premature Wrinkling – Ex. lines that form “overnight”
     
    dryness inflammation redness acne wrinkles

     

    The Solution

    When we don’t have time for lengthy meditation sessions, morning yoga or the ability to go off the grid in the name of stress reduction, skin needs a leg up in order to keep up with our overscheduled lives. 

    We've created The ZenBubble Gel Cream. 

    Lightweight, multi-purpose gel cream with new Double Bubble technology that wraps skin in stress-relieving marine extracts and topical superfoods to help reduce the visible effects of stress: redness, breakouts, accelerated wrinkling, excessive dryness and enlarged pores.

    ZenBubble Gel Cream