Years ago not long after nursing school I worked in a large cosmetic surgeon’s office. One of my duties as a new nurse there was to keep the bins of pharmaceutical samples all organized and up to date (making sure there were none that were expired, etc.). The one thing that always struck me as odd was we had quite a few bins of antidepressants….and I could tell that they were indeed being dispensed. I would ponder the possible reasons (too afraid to simply ask the doctor why we had them, I guess) why we would have them. It made since that we had drugs for acne and other skin conditions but it didn’t quite make all that much sense for me to stock anti-depressants. I figured that perhaps those with severe acne were so troubled by it that they may needed some pharmaceutical intervention but never really knew for sure.

Today I was reading a dermatology journal and it stated a strong correlation between stress, depression and anxiety with a number of skin, hair and nail conditions. It literally stated that we look better when we feel better emotionally. I mean on one level that makes so much sense to me…even a fever blister can rear its ugly head when we’re stressed…but on another level I guess I just didn’t realize how strong the correlation was.

Stress is not only a trigger to some skin conditions it's also a key player in worsening many existing problems such as acne and rosacea. It can impair the barrier function and cause dehydration leaving the largest organ vulnerable to irritants and infectious agents.

The other problem (and I can personally attest to this one) is that when you’re feeling down, nervous or stressed one may tend to neglect the care they would normally give their skin by skipping daily regimens, drinking a little more alcohol, get less sleep and possibly even smoke cigarettes. Those are all one way tickets to abused looking skin.

In a nutshell, it’s simply back to the old adage, "when you feel good…you look good." And depression certainly doesn’t feel good. I’m not saying that anti-depressants are the only answer to stress reduction, but I am saying that it is an option. More than likely though just practicing stress reduction exercises such as yoga and meditation might just be the ticket to feeling beautiful as well as looking beautiful.

Another way to reduce stress is to make your life easier and to make it more affordable which is why I buy all my medications through www.drugstore.com. I don’t have to stand in line at the pharmacy while the pharmacy tech is shouting words like Prozac or Zoloft while everyone in the place is listening (which by the way…have they never heard of HIPPA laws?! LOL) And I get my medications and other pharmacy products at a great savings.

So reduce your stress and be even more beautiful than you already are!