cortisol face - what it looks like & what she is telling us.
Something that I’ve noticed a lot in my facial studio recently is something I have sort of termed ‘cortisol face’. It doesn’t sounds particularly glamorous, however, when the skin is presenting in this way, it indicates to me that there is long term stress floating around in the body. Long term stress in the body will play havoc on all 3 doshic energies and creates a very discombobulated skin texture and appearance.
What it looks like;
Puffiness
Splotchy redness
Irregular areas of heat; nose & cheeks
Dryness
Horizontal lines on forehead
Translucent dark under eye circles
What cortisol face is telling us;
Pitta excess (fire + water) = inflammation and burn out.
Burning the candle at both ends, allowing anger, frustration and resentment to build up, not honouring your own precious heart, self soothing with heat-producing substances, living life under obligation rather than enjoying the juicy, sweet, softness it has to offer.
Vata excess (air + ether) = depletion, irregular flow/prana/lifeforce, being constantly in fight/flight mode, completely deficient in the water element.
Giving, giving and giving out without truly nourishing oneself in return, being in a state of fearfulness rather than enjoying the boundless adventures of the unknown, forgetting to tap into the exuberant creativity that may be available to you.
Kapha excess (earth + water) = a heavy, puffy and downward energy, feeling ‘down in the dumps’, difficulty finding the lightness to get moving, stagnation in the lymphatic system.
A sensation of stuck-ness and hopelessness, forgetting that life is supposed to bring juiciness and nourishment to our whole being, getting in our own way due to being weighed down by the stress of our modern lives.
What cortisol face is telling us we need;
It is time to put you first
Your nourishment, your feelings, your energy, your emotions, your dreams matter
Your skin ritual needs to be in an abundance of mists, oils, loving self massage - simple but consistent and intentional
Your body needs rest, clean nourishing foods, lots of filtered water and herbal teas
Gentle movement but not overdoing it
Deep belly breathing
Time for nothing, reading a good book, getting off social media and scrolling
Self massage
Work out the things that bring you true happiness and do more of it but through a lense of self compassion, not obligation
Acknowledge that this may take time
It is ok to ask for help
Honour your needs, boundaries and desires, it may upset others but you my sweet soul are very worthy of putting yourself first
This is usually present in women who are in burnout, fight/flight mode and who are continually giving out to everyone but themselves. Yes, the skin and body requires hydration and nourishment but I feel that this goes deeper. This is really about a deep honouring of ourselves, our wants, our desires, our boundaries and how we show up for ourselves rather than for others. You can rebalance your Ayurvedic skin type topically with a fair amount of ease. However, unless you get into the heart and soul of it, it can be challenging to overcome this in the skin and achieve a really juicy, dewy, robust complexion. So if this sounds like something you are experiencing, you are not alone. It is a very gentle reminder that you matter and that now is maybe the perfect time to put yourself and nourishment first.