Why ‘cortisol’ faces are now a bigger fear for women than wrinkles: POLISHED with Elise Wilson

If, like me, you’ve had one hell of a stressful month lately, you may have also woken up looking… how do I put this?

Different.

And by different, I don’t just mean a complexion that’s looking little more tired or dull than usual (although they are some lovely side-effects to add to my already worried expression). 

I mean genuinely puffier, and quite literally the opposite of the hollowed-out ‘Ozempic face’ dominating social media right now.

It’s more like the face staring back at you in the mirror looks like it’s been retaining every single stressful email, meeting and sleepless night with the kids from the past few months.

Now, I’m under no illusion that my cheekbones or jawline usually rival Margot Robbie’s, but typically I can fake a relatively sculpted, glowy face with a bit of strategic blush and bronzer. But even my usual makeup tricks seemed to be struggling against whatever is going on underneath recently.

So, after far some panic-Googling, aggressively dry brushing my face (more on that here), massaging my under-eye bags and icing my poor skin to within an inch of its life, I came to the conclusion TikTok had diagnosed me with something known as ‘cortisol face.’

A friend brought it to my attention that, unbeknown to me, the now-viral beauty term had previously exploded across social media, with creators claiming their elevated cortisol levels were behind everything from bloating and adult acne to facial puffiness and rapid ageing.

If, like me, you’ve had one hell of a stressful month lately, you may have also woken up lwith dull skin and looking and a lot puffier than you’re used to – but it’s not all bad’ – Daily Mail’s Beauty Expert Elise Wilson

The now-viral beauty term ‘cortisol face’ had previously exploded across social media, with creators claiming their elevated cortisol levels were behind everything from bloating and adult acne to facial puffiness and rapid ageing, but experts say there’s only some truth to it. Pictured: Social media creator ‘Itsbrookelle’ documenting her own experience

I had an immediate ah-ha moment because, naturally, Dr Google seemed to be describing my exact circumstances to a worrying degree of accuracy. 

But at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder, was this so-called ‘diagnosis’ actually helping me, or simply feeding even more stress and panic?

Because while the internet has absolutely taken the concept and run wild with it, there is truth to the fact that stress eventually catches up with us physically, but it’s not always a bad thing – and you do not have to spend hundreds ‘fixing’ it.

We are human after all, and we’ve all experienced periods where we’re overwhelmed, exhausted, sleeping badly and surviving on caffeine alone. But the physical effects, it seems, are only really noticeable to ourselves.

According to experts, the internet’s obsession with ‘cortisol face’ has spiralled into another impossible beauty standard women are expected to fix.

The term originally stems from legitimate medical conditions involving prolonged elevated cortisol levels, including Cushing syndrome, which can cause noticeable swelling and facial rounding.

Actress and comedian Amy Schumer recently revealed she was diagnosed with Cushing syndrome after public discussion around changes in her appearance.

However, doctors say that for the average person, occasional puffiness or facial fluctuations are completely normal.

The term originally stems from legitimate medical conditions involving prolonged elevated cortisol levels, including Cushing syndrome, which can cause noticeable swelling and facial rounding. Actress and comedian Amy Schumer (pictured) recently revealed her own diagnosis

Dermatologist Dr Cristina Psomadakis previously explained the trend appears to be ‘trying to medicalise’ common cosmetic concerns like facial fullness or bloating in order to ‘take control of fixing it.’

And that’s exactly where things get murky.

Because social media has created this bizarre expectation that women should somehow look permanently sculpted, lifted, rested and glowing at all times, regardless of stress, hormones, poor sleep, ageing, travel, wine, salty food or simply being human.

Any slight puffiness suddenly becomes a ‘problem.’

Was my face actually more inflamed? Or had TikTok simply convinced me that women are no longer allowed to look tired?

To find out, I decided to try some of the anti-inflammatory habits wellness experts genuinely recommend, but rather to see whether slowing down would actually change both how I looked and felt.

However, doctors say that for the average person, occasional puffiness or facial fluctuations are completely normal. A tool to help: Kitsch Ice Roller for Face ($19.99)

That included walking more, prioritising sleep, drinking a lot more water, reducing alcohol, trying daily facial massage and focusing on nervous system regulation instead of simply attacking my face with an ice roller at 6am.

According to Sydney-based lymphatic massage and Reiki healer Daniela Pola, stress absolutely can manifest physically in the face and body over time.

‘Chronically elevated cortisol triggers aldosterone, which causes the body to retain sodium and therefore water,’ she explained to me.

‘It also drives systemic low-grade inflammation, which the lymphatic system then has to work harder to clear.

‘When you’re living in a prolonged stress response, your lymphatic flow slows. The result is fluid that pools, skin that puffs, and a face that (sometimes) looks and feels heavier than it should.’

According to lymphatic massage and Reiki healer Daniela Pola, stress absolutely can manifest physically in the face and body over time. ‘Chronically elevated cortisol triggers aldosterone, which causes the body to retain sodium and therefore water’

She said the most common signs she notices in clients include puffiness around the jawline, cheeks and eyes, as well as heaviness through the upper chest and shoulders.

‘The jaw is almost always holding tension as the body is trying to process more than it can move.’

However, Dani also stressed that women are becoming increasingly hyperfixated on looking ‘depuffed’ all the time, which is something she finds more concerning.

‘There’s a difference between caring for your body and surveilling it,’ she said.

‘What social media has done is create a new standard of perpetually sculpted, “glass skin,” that isn’t physiologically normal or healthy.’

Because somewhere along the line, wellness stopped being about feeling good and quietly morphed into another unachievable aesthetic women are expected to achieve.

Now we’re not just meant to avoid wrinkles or ageing. We’re expected to look permanently hydrated, smiling and symmetrical too.

Meanwhile, many of the habits experts like Dani actually recommend are surprisingly simple and far less extreme than TikTok would have you believe.

She emphasised that walking, hydration, quality sleep, reducing alcohol, deep breathing and daily meditation all play a far bigger role than obsessively scraping a gua sha tool across your face for ten minutes.

‘I often tell my clients that you cannot out-gua-sha a nervous system that’s chronically dysregulated. The work has to happen at that level too.’

I think it’s also imperative to point out that cortisol itself is not inherently ‘bad’ for us.

For all its bad rap, it is in fact a necessary hormone that helps regulate energy, alertness, inflammation and the body’s stress response.

However, and I think this may be my problem, negative symptoms of high cortisol typically only arise when stress becomes chronic and prolonged over time.

However, Dani also stressed that women are becoming increasingly hyperfixated on looking ‘depuffed’ all the time, which is something she finds more concerning. ‘What social media has done is create a new standard of perpetually sculpted, “glass skin,” that isn’t physiologically normal or healthy’

According to wellness experts interviewed by Vogue, small daily ‘micro-habits’ can help support the nervous system and reduce inflammation, and so can incorporating what’s known as neuroactive cosmetics.

A new term for me too, but in a nutshell, neuroactive cosmetics are a new wave of skincare designed to do more than just work on the surface of the skin.

They contain ingredients believed to help calm the nervous system and reduce stress responses in the body, tapping into the strong connection between the brain and skin.

It sounds a bit far-fetched, but the idea is that because our skin is closely linked to our emotional state, helping the body feel calmer may also help skin appear healthier, less inflamed and more balanced.

Although you might be tempted to throw out your other cosmetics, experts and recent studies caution that more research is still needed in this area.

Which, when you strip away the TikTok buzzwords, is probably the real takeaway here.

Yes, stress can absolutely affect our appearance over time, but most women don’t need social media to tell them that.

The occasional puffiness after a stressful week doesn’t mean your face is broken, it probably just means you’re human.