Maybe it’s your imagination.
Maybe the fact that you’ve been looking at yourself via webcam a lot more often over this past year has caused you to have an altered perception of yourself.
This is an effect called ‘Zoom face.’
As it turns out, some people can get a distorted idea of what they looked like, based on constantly looking at themselves through the lens of their online camera.
In a recent interview on CNN.com, Dr. Rajani Katta, the author of the book Glow: The Dermatologist’s Guide to a Whole Foods Younger Skin Diet, said this about the phenomenon… which she actually coined.
“Some of this is due to perception, what I call ‘Zoom face,” she told CNN. “Between the harsh lighting, the strange angles, and just staring at your own face for hours on end, it can alter your perception of your own appearance.”
But is this always the culprit? Or is it possible that the pandemic may actually be making you literally look older?
I know that I’ve drastically increased the number of Zoom meetings I take part in every day.
But are ‘online meetings’ the only thing to blame?
Well, as it turns out, there’s a possibility that there’s a lot more to it.
Here’s what you need to know.
Is The Pandemic Making You Look Older? Here’s One Possibility
According to scientists, the pandemic may absolutely be making some of us look older.
And it may be happening due to an increase in stress (not because of Zoom).
There’s no denying that many of us are stressed out.
Bills, health concerns, mobility restrictions, and anxiety about not only our own safety and future, but also the safety and well-being of our loved ones, can contribute a great deal to sleep loss.
And stress, as well as sleep loss, both take their toll on us… not just emotionally, but also physically.
Stress Causes Wrinkles In Our Skin
Due to higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, your skin can suffer breakdowns in collagen and elastin.
Research has also found that chronic stress tends to increase inflammation. This causes accelerated aging, which also contributes to the formation of wrinkles.
How To Prevent Stress From Prematurely Aging You
According to Noelani Gonzalez, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, some of the best ways to keep stress from aging your skin prematurely is to keep up with your exercising and skin-care routines.
Getting daily exercise can help to reduce stress, promote better sleep, create feelings of well-being, and pump up the production of your brains’ feel-good neurotransmitters… your endorphins.
Couple this with a solid skincare plan to help fight the effects of aging to stay looking young and vibrant for longer.
In Conclusion
Unfortunately, our skin won’t last forever without wrinkles.
But you can do a lot to prevent them in both the short and long term.
Getting quality exercise, and making sure that you adopt a high-quality skin care regimen, are two of your greatest assets in the struggle against premature aging.
If you take them seriously, they can help you to stay looking young and vibrant for much, much longer.