Influencers have come up with a new thing that you can blame for all your problems: cortisol.
In more than 140,000 posts on the topic, TikTok users blame the stress hormone for a range of ailments, from facial puffiness to adult acne.
Doctors say in rare cases this natural hormone can cause facial swelling, as in the case of comedian Amy Schumer, who has a rare disorder that causes cortisol to spike, called Cushing’s disease.
But for the average person, a puffy face may be natural and not a sign of any underlying hormonal imbalance.
“I think the ‘cortisol face’ trend is trying to explain away a perceived cosmetic problem, like a round face, and trying to medicalize it, so you can take control and fix it,” said dermatologist Dr. Cristina Psomadakis. The New York Times.
It seems that many people are concerned about facial swelling. Google Searches ‘Cortisol in the face’ levels have been rising steadily since March 2024, peaking earlier this month.
This could be partly due to how popular the topic seems to be on social media.
Liz Tenuto, known to her 2 million TikTok followers as The Workout Witch, has posted plenty of videos on the topic.
In a video posted in January 2024, Ms. Tenuto said high cortisol “changes your appearance” by causing adult acne, facial swelling, a hump in the neck, puffiness around the eyes, swelling and more.
To solve this problem, Ms. Tenuto recommended to commenters: ‘I suggest the somatic stress and trauma release exercises in the (link emoji) (heart emoji).’
Following that link, Ms. Tenuto has a variety of different personal exercise regimens, journals, and workout routines starting at $19.
Other influencers use it to promote their individual supplement lines or apple cider vinegar. Still others recommend the use of Gua Sha, a traditional Chinese medical practice that involves passing a tool over the face to promote de-puffing.
However, doctors like Dr. Rajita Sinha, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Yale Interdisciplinary Stress Center, told The NYT that these symptoms, such as a puffy face, are not signs that something is wrong.
For the average person, “it would have to be very, very high levels of stress for it to have a more visible and non-transient effect,” Dr. Sinha said.
Ms. Schumer announced that she was battling Cushing’s syndrome in a February 2024 newsletter.
Instead, facial differences are likely due to natural changes related to aging or weight fluctuation.
Cortisol is sometimes referred to as the stress hormone, but it plays a much more complex role in the body.
There are receptors for the hormone in almost every part of the body, according to The Cleveland Clinic. So when it’s released into the bloodstream, it can attach to and affect everything from your immune system to your muscles, hair, skin, and nails.
It helps control how your body uses energy, regulates blood pressure, and tells you when to be alert and when to sleep.
It may also play a role in inflammation, hence the idea of facial cortisol.
When the body responds to injury, cortisol is released, causing the body to become inflamed to eliminate invading bacteria or other external forces that may be making you sick.
Sometimes chronic stress can have a similar effect on the body: it regularly sends large amounts of cortisol into the bloodstream, producing inflammation that can make you look bloated.
But this condition is actually quite rare and is usually only seen in people who are recovering from surgery, using steroids, or have an underlying health condition.
For example, Cushing’s syndrome is a condition that causes glands to produce excess cortisol, leading to chronic swelling, weight gain, and facial rounding.
It can be fatal or go away on its own, and is relatively rare, affecting 40 to 70 people in every million. according to the NIH.
Comedian Amy Schumer, 43, currently lives with Cushing’s syndrome and shunned the public attention she received for her chubby face while raising awareness about the condition.
“It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for me and my family. On top of fears for my health, I also had to appear on camera for the Internet to weigh in. But thank God for that. Because that’s how I realized something was wrong,” Schumer said.
