It is not without reason that researchers recommend a good cry every now and then. Crying helps flush out stress toxins; is self-soothing; clears eye debris; activates parasympathetic system; releases endorphins that help reduce pain. But what does it do to our skin?
When we cry, the water passes through a thin membrane to the tissues around the eyes that cause water retention and the skin around the eyes ends up looking puffier than before. Continuous dilation of the blood vessels around the eyes can also lead to swelling and puffing up of the eyes.
The puffy eyes can also be a result of really unfavorable eating practices like having too much sugar, caffeine, fast food, or skipping meals altogether.
Also, read this article, to decode what these eye bags are trying to signal about your body, that you need to listen to right now. Bonus: find some very helpful Ayurvedic remedies and tips to get rid of the eye bags for good!
You can also try Shankara’s Anti-age Eye Cream that gently nourishes the delicate skin around the eyes. Rich with the goodness of antioxidants and ingredients like Rose distillate, raw shea butter, grapeseed oil, andiroba oil, rosehip seed oil, hazelnut oil, Jojoba oil, microalgae extract, castor oil, aspen bark extract, cucumber extract, squalane (Olive-derived), foraha oil, Carrot seed extract oil, pomegranate seed oil; borage oil, Kukui nut oil and raspberry seed oil, protein and soy extract among others; nutrients and antioxidants, the cream has been found to be deeply hydrating and moisturizing.
Crying causes a release of endorphins or feel-good hormones and a reduction in stress hormones like cortisol, which have been linked to breakouts and other skin conditions. Though this may require more research, indications are that occasional bouts of crying can be good for the skin in the long run.
(Also read: The cortisol problem: Reduce this stress hormone naturally in 5 ways)
Tears are a combination of water, lysozyme (anti-bacterial), and salt, so they are unlikely to clog your skin pores, though salt can be dehydrating for the skin. But constantly rubbing your eyes and face can lead to inflamed skin, causing breakouts. These breakouts are called acne mechanica, where you experience acne caused by too much friction or heat.
Here’s 5 easy home remedies to fight acne.
Occasionally, crying can also lead to capillary damages around the eye region. This may happen due to aggressive rubbing of eyes, popping the breakouts, or frequent wiping of face, blowing nose, among other things. This is maybe more common among people with sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, or ones whose skin are overexposed to UV rays from the sunlight which tends to weaken the blood vessels underneath the skin, or even among those whose skin is affected by poor lifestyle choices, may be prone to broken capillaries.
Though you may not dehydrate from crying alone, if you have not been drinking enough fluids, you may experience something akin to dehydration headaches after long bouts of crying. At such times, simply giving yourself a loving and nourishing break by washing your face, splashing some cold water, drinking a glass of juice or water can help you regain your physical composure.
So here are a few quick tips to save your skin while you let go of the pent-up stressful emotions every now and then in a healthy way.
Always pat the tears away instead of rubbing them to avoid breakouts, inflammation and broken capillaries.
If you cry often (and nobody is judging here) you may want to move away from harsh sulfate-laden face washing options to more natural options like Shankara’s Deep Cleanser. Ideally, pick a cleanser that is pH balanced, mild, naturally made, and is appropriate for your skin type (check your skin type here.)
Shankara’s Hydrating Cleanser is a powerfully soothing, non-irritating cleanser that comes with the richness of chamomile, lavender, neem, and calendula, apart from 25 other exotic herbs endowed with naturally hydrating and calming properties to balance Kapha (earth and water element) and pitta (fire) as well. Washing off the cleanser, leaves your skin feeling soft and supple yet not greasy.
Unlike mass-produced cleansers, Shankara’s hydrating cleanser has been formulated with a lot of thought and concern going behind coming up with a natural cleanser that preserves the acid mantle of the skin, and as a result use of the cleanser leaves your skin feeling silky yet moist and healthy.
Here are 10 tips to pick the right cleanser for you.
All the loss of water through the tears can be very drying for the skin. So it may help to keep a hydrating moisturizer handy, to replenish the skin’s moisture content. Shankara’s range of moisturizers goes the extra mile. They have only 0.7% wax, built-in sunscreen, and essential oils to keep the mind and body balanced.
The idea is to pick a moisturizer that suits your skin dosha type, if it is vata, kapha or pitta skin, since each skin type has varying moisturizing needs. (Find out your skin dosha type here.)
Vata Skin is identified by the quality of dryness. Vata skin also ages faster than other skin types. So the moisturizer you pick must take that into consideration.
Read here how to manage the vata skin.
comments (0)