The team at Valley Medical Weight Loss and Med Spa advocates for aging with grace. We know that today’s 40 isn’t your mom, dad, or grandparents’ 40. That 50 is the new 30. That life doesn’t stop at menopause, andropause, or retirement. That people are living and thriving longer than ever before. We also understand that age discrimination is real and that you want to look as amazing as you feel. Let’s explore the connection between stress and aging and what to do to address both natural and premature aging.

Does Stress Cause Aging?

Yes! You’re sure to have experienced how just one night of insufficient sleep can leave you looking both tired and older than your biological age. Also, how poor you can look physically in times of short-term or chronic stress. This is primarily due to a lack of sleep.

Sleep isn’t only required for resting your mind, it’s when your body heals, repairs, and performs cellular repair. Not just the cellular repair that contributes to fine lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity—but whole-body cellular repair.

In addition to sleep deprivation, stress activates the production of stress hormones.

Stress Hormones and Whole-Body Aging

The stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine aren’t all bad, as they activate your body’s natural fight-or-flight stress response. This is a biological means of helping your body respond to stress and danger. Health and wellness problems arise, beyond the visible signs of aging, when stress is prolonged.  

When the production of stress hormones is chronic, it can activate pathways in the body that accelerate DNA damage. The aging effects of stress can be as extreme as the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes!

Stress can:

• Decrease immunity
• Raise your blood pressure
• Cause muscular tension
• Contribute to digestive issues
• Reduce circulation in the body
• Slow metabolism
• Raise your blood sugar
• Disrupt sleep
• Cause headaches
• Contribute to anxiety and depression
• Disrupt memory and focus
• And more

Stress Hormones and Fine Lines and Wrinkles

Stress doesn’t accelerate fine lines and wrinkles, but the side effects of stress can accelerate the visible signs of aging. At the top of this list is sleep deprivation. Deep REM sleep is essential for anti-aging. REM sleep is activated about 90 minutes after you fall asleep.

The average adult requires at least 2 hours of REM sleep per night. If you toss and turn, are a light sleeper, or wake frequently during the night—you may not achieve 2 hours of REM sleep. In addition to REM sleep, most adults require a total of 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to wake feeling energized, emotionally balanced, and mentally refreshed.

How sleep aids in anti-aging:

• Growth Hormones: Your body releases growth hormones while you sleep. These growth hormones stimulate cellular growth, cellular repair, and tissue repair.
• Antioxidant Activity: While you sleep, antioxidant activity increases to stimulate cellular repair and reduce oxidative stress throughout your body.
• Blood Flow: While you sleep your body increases the blood flow to your skin. This rejuvenating blood flow delivers antioxidants to skin cells to promote cellular repair.
• Collagen Production: Collagen provides the structure and elasticity of your skin. While you sleep your body produces more collagen. 

How To Minimize The Visible Signs of Aging

Even with adequate sleep, the anti-aging processes above will slow down. There is no way to avoid this side effect of the natural aging process, especially when speaking of chronic stress and aging.
The visible signs of aging may appear minimally in your 20s and 30s, and substantially in your 40s and beyond. Strategic skincare, nutrition, lifestyle choices, and medical spa treatments can slow and reverse the visible signs of aging.

#1 Personalized and Evolving Skincare

Don’t underestimate the benefits of cleansing your skin every morning and evening, exfoliating 2 to 3 days a week, and deep cleansing your pores. Between makeup, skincare products, sweat, oil, food particles, and the daily grime your skin can’t adequately repair if it’s not clean, exfoliated, and deep cleansed.
Topical serums and moisturizers are essential for anti-aging, as they deliver antioxidants and hydration directly to your pores. Upgrade the anti-aging content of your skincare products at least every 10 years. Skip trending products, and work with skincare professionals to determine the right product range. This will often be a mix of different skincare brands and may include seasonal and condition-specific products.

#2 Adjust Your Technology Use

In addition to stress and aging, modern technology has ushered in a few new causes of premature aging. At the top of this list are deep neck creases and premature crow’s feet. Deep neck creases begin to form for many as teens. They form by the repetitive motion of heads-down electronic use. Neck creasing can be minimized by positioning digital screens (particularly mobile devices) at or above eye level.

Premature crow’s feet are caused by squinting at digital screens. Squinting can also form in the teens and early 20s. You can minimize this risk factor by ensuring proper external lighting and screen brightness.

Screen use also increases exposure to blue light, so turn on the blue light filter on your devices—and wear broad-spectrum UV protection.

#3 Explore Your Med Spa Options

You’ve heard of a medical spa, but you may not be sure what your range of options are. Botox and fillers are often the first things that come to mind, but your rejuvenating options go far beyond aesthetic injectables.

Medical spas offer a variety of non-surgical and minimally invasive skincare treatments that stimulate collagen, elastin, and optimal cellular performance. All treatments are scientifically proven to deliver results.

This includes options to:

• Fade scars and dark spots
• Regrow hair
• Smooth fine lines
• Minimize deep creases
• Restore your youthful glow
• Even out skin tone
• Reduce acne pits and pockmarks
• Lift and contour your skin
• Eliminate your double chin
• Perform a nonsurgical facelift
• Nefertiti neck lift
• Blast cellulite
• Erase crepey skin
• And more!

Scheduling a consultation is the best way to determine how we can address your unique anti-aging and aesthetic needs.

#4 Prioritize Nutrition

Optimal skincare and addressing stress and aging require an inside-out approach. The more antioxidants in your diet, the more you support your body in cellular repair—beyond fine lines and wrinkles. In addition to eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seafood, lean meat, and low-fat dairy—keep processed foods to a minimum. Both sugar and many of the chemicals found in ultra-processed foods can degrade collagen and elastin or contribute to cellular damage. Sugar can shorten your telomeres, which further accelerates aging.

You may also want to add adaptogen herbs to your daily routine. Just be mindful that their full effects take about 90 days to achieve.

Hydration is also essential for skin (and whole-body) health. Aim to drink at least half of your body weight in water and unsweetened hydrating beverages per day. Drink more when in heat or humidity, when physically active, or any time you’re perspiring heavily.  

#5 Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

We discussed sleep’s role in anti-aging above, but it’s not the only skin-healthy lifestyle habit to consider.

• Physical fitness supports health and wellness in a variety of ways. In terms of your skin, it helps to expel toxins from your body.
• Linked to nutrition, keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. UV exposure damages skin at the cellular level, accelerating aging. So, protect your skin.
• While one of the less significant health risks, smoking is the only thing that damages your skin more than the sun.

Other Factors That Accelerate Aging?

• Genetics
• UV exposure
• Lifestyle
• Technology use  
• Skincare routine
• Sleep deprivation

How to Reset Your Body From Chronic Stress?

Beyond the fine lines and wrinkles caused by stress and aging, there are a variety of ways to support your body in its recovery from chronic stress. Tips #4 and #5 above are an excellent place to begin. Below are a few more.

Be Proactive

Don’t wait until you’re in a time of high or chronic stress to address stress. Instead, work stress-relieving techniques into your weekly routine. This will create healthy whole-body habits and build your resilience.

Find What Works For You

Stress management isn’t a one-size-fits-all equation. You must find what works for you today, tomorrow, and ongoing. This can include workouts, which boost the feel-good hormones serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine. But explore options beyond physical fitness.

This might include:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Sound therapy
• Aromatherapy
• Journaling
• Engaging in hobbies
• Positive socialization
• Massage therapy
• Any type of self-care

Stress Elimination

Eliminating stressors may sound obvious, but when you’re in the thick of it, it can be easy to forget. If you can’t eliminate the actual source of your stress, create more space in your schedule. Delegate, ask for help, remove items from your schedule, and say “no”.

Talk Therapy

Chronic stress increases your risk for anxiety and depression. Talk therapy provides you with a safe place to share and tools to manage stress. If not traditional talk therapy, explore your options in live support groups, online communities, and alternative therapies.

Want to Know If Your Aesthetic Aging Can Be Reversed?

Whether you look your chronological age, look younger, or look older than you feel—Valley Medical Weight Loss and Med Spa offers a range of aesthetic treatments. Our treatments can be utilized as a proactive or reactive approach to your skincare issues. Depending on your skin condition and how early we address it, we may be able to reverse your natural and stress-related signs of aging.

If we can’t reverse your aesthetic aging, we may be able to slow the rate of ongoing aging or utilize fillers and threads to lift and contour your skin.

We have 3 locations in the Phoenix area. Schedule a consultation to learn more!