Beyond being an accomplished artist and beauty guru, Alicia Keys is above all a woman who has skin problems like everyone else. Ambassador of the "no make up" movement since 2016, the year she decided to free herself from the dictates of beauty, she admits to Byrdie magazine that she made this decision after noticing that her skin was more and more "stressed". An observation that led her to enter a vicious circle:
“I felt like I had to hide those imperfections and I probably had a very heavy hand [with the makeup] because I felt uncomfortable and embarrassed.”
Freeing yourself from stress: the secret that calmed your skin
Acne can be caused by many things. It can come from a hormonal imbalance, significant dehydration or the repetition of actions that are harmful to the epidermis. For her part, Alicia Keys established a link between the degradation of her skin and the stress she could feel at certain times in her life:
“I also understood that the skin was a reflection of how I felt. I hadn't realized how much I was taking on myself and how it was affecting my skin. I started working on my way of dealing with stress. I got better over time to get rid of it and feel better. I understood that I was not comfortable with people and things that are not good for me.
Adopting the right gestures: a pillar to soothe the epidermis
In addition to genetics, lifestyle plays a big role in the epidermis, no matter how long you apply yourself to it. bathroom, and how much we spend on routine skincare. Alicia Keys understood this well. In addition to prioritizing good stress management, she also explains that she sticks to a simple skin care routine, but one based on important gestures, including cleaning first: "I never forget to wash the face. Never, never, never”.
His other ally? Hydration of course! A concept that she was afraid to put in place until then because she feared possible repercussions on her acne:
“I was worried about my acne. I had no idea that nourishing her skin was as important as cleaning it. So that changed things."
Stressed skin… Hum ok… What does that mean?
Skin can feel stressed, really? Well guess what, yes! In fact, when we feel anguish or anxiety, we secrete cortisol, a hormone which intervenes in the "regulation of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, ions and water to limit a possible variation of the physiological balance of the organism” according to the Journal Des Femmes Santé.
Basically: this hormone contributes in part to staying alert to danger.
Except that this hormone is not made to be secreted continuously. The problem with being constantly anxious is that it is. And when that happens, it creates a form of continuous inflammation.
Result? The skin ages faster and lets appear some imperfections which can, in certain cases, wake up rather strong acne. The solution ? Relax (lol)… Easier said than done… But the good news is that biting a little piece of dark chocolate every day, if you like it, would help lower cortisol levels… But for the big ones stressed out, not sure that's enough.
Image credits of one: @aliciakeys
Also read: Dua Lipa reveals her beautiful skin secret and we've already told you about it
