Stress...what would life be without it. In today's hectic lifestyle, it seems to go
hand in hand with work, our family life, money and just every day life. Wellness
centers are sprouting up all over the country in the hopes to help everyday
people cope with everyday stresses. Supplements, chinese herbs, meditation
tapes, yoga, and countless other remedies are cashing in on this amazing trend.
For those of us who suffer from melasma, stress can be the difference between
success and failure in treating this condition. Until recently, stress was never
correlated with melasma. It was something that many professionals never put
together. However, recent studies have shown the direct correlation between the
two.
This is how stress effects your melasma condition. When our bodies are under
stress, it increases the amount of ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) that is
produced in the pituitary gland. ACTH levels are directly responsible for MSH
Levels. (Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone.) MSH is responsible for the amount
of melanin that is produced in our bodies. When ACTH levels rise, so do MSH
levels. The result is generalized hyperpigmentation.
According to Wickipedia, a case report of 2 women who developed melasma
after sudden and profound emotional stress implicated the release of MSH by the
hypothalamus as a cause. Please click on the link below for a case study
reporting the same findings.
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v121/n1/full/5601847a.html
I would like to encourage all of you to begin a daily journal. At the end of each
day, jot down what you ate, drank, how your stress level was throughout the day,
how well rested you were, where you are in your monthly cycle, and whatever
pertinent information you think would be helpful in identifying your daily triggers.
(I can guarantee that most of us have some type of stress we have to deal with
on a daily basis.) The following morning, look at your melasma and see what
type of changes you notice. If your melasma seems to have darkened or looks
worse than usual, you can look back at your journal and see what may have
triggered it. By gaining control of the triggers, you can gain even more control
over your melasma.
Have you ever had an evening out that included consuming alcohol and staying up late?
Did you notice your skin the next day? You guessed it - Alcohol has the same effect