I talk a lot about the importance of social connection for health and well-being. We humans are social creatures, and we really do need supportive and authentic relationships in order to be healthy.
Of course, relationships are important for mental and emotional health, but they’re important for physical health as well – including skin health. In fact, this is one of those absolutely crucial factors that mainstream medicine has an unfortunate tendency to overlook.
When I say “relationships” here, I’m not just referring to romantic relationships – although having a romantic partner can be great, as long as the connection is healthy. But this is certainly not the only type of relationship that can meet your needs for social connection. Our relationships with family and friends can also be huge sources of support. For women especially, connections with friends are extremely important.
There are lots of ways that supportive relationships can benefit your skin health. One that I’d like to focus on today is related to a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is related to social connection and bonding, and research has actually found that oxytocin can impact many aspects of our health, including skin health.
What is oxytocin?
Oxytocin is a hormone that’s produced in the hypothalamus, which is a small region at the base of the brain. It’s stored in the pituitary gland, which is sometimes referred to as the “master gland” because it controls the release of so many important hormones.
Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the “bonding hormone” or the “love hormone.” This is because it’s released in situations where you feel connected to another person. Loving physical touch is a powerful way to release oxytocin. For example, holding your baby or child releases a lot of oxytocin. So does cuddling your partner.
However, even though some people call it the “cuddle hormone,” physical contact isn’t required for oxytocin to be released. Studies have shown that oxytocin levels increase when people spend time with their friends, even if they don’t physically touch. In general, any warm and trusting interaction will release oxytocin.
Oxytocin seems to be important for helping us feel close bonds with other people. When we have high oxytocin levels, we feel more caring towards others, and we also feel happy and content. However, oxytocin’s effects go way beyond emotions. In fact, this hormone acts throughout the body to influence our physical as well as mental health.
How does oxytocin affect the skin?
Oxytocin can affect basically every system throughout the body, including the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and digestive system. It’s probably not surprising that it can affect the skin as well.
Research has recently been exploring the effects of oxytocin on the skin in more depth, and has discovered several different ways that oxytocin can be beneficial for people with chronic skin conditions. Here are a few of the ways that oxytocin can help to reduce the risk of skin flares and support good skin health.
Oxidative stress
Oxidative stress is a type of damage that cells can experience. It occurs because the process of using oxygen to get energy produces some harmful byproducts. Cells use a variety of different substances to help get rid of these harmful byproducts and protect the cell from damage. These are known as antioxidants.
We can get antioxidants from our food. In fact, healthy foods like fruits and vegetables generally contain lots of antioxidants. Inside MGS Academy, I discuss ways to ensure that you’re getting enough of these highly beneficial compounds.
The body also makes its own antioxidants. One of the main ones, which is made in cells throughout the body, is called glutathione. Oxytocin acts to increase glutathione levels in cells, which in turn helps to protect them from oxidative stress. In this way, oxytocin is basically acting as an antioxidant – although indirectly.
Research is increasingly showing that oxidative damage is involved in a number of different skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis (eczema), psoriasis, and rosacea. By helping to protect against oxidative damage, oxytocin can help to protect your skin.
Immune system function
Another important function of oxytocin is related to the regulation of the immune system. As I’ve discussed before, many common skin conditions are caused or exacerbated by autoimmunity – meaning that your body’s immune system mistakenly starts attacking your own tissues.
Oxytocin can help to calm down excess inflammation throughout the body. In general, when the immune system is overactive, it starts to cause damage to your own tissues. Oxytocin acts as a signaling molecule in the immune system, turning off excessive immune system activation. This helps to reduce the likelihood and severity of skin flares.
By helping to control chronic inflammation, oxytocin is actually protecting every system in your body. Chronic inflammation is strongly linked to many serious conditions – cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and more. Keeping inflammation under control is one of the most important things any of us can do for our health.
There has even been research demonstrating that people who have higher oxytocin levels also show slower skin aging. Chronic inflammation accelerates aging, causing tissues in the skin to break down more quickly. By controlling inflammation, oxytocin can help to protect your skin in a number of ways.
Finding support for maintaining your close – and authentic – relationships
As you can see, oxytocin can have many benefits for your skin health. If you have a chronic skin condition, making sure that you have enough oxytocin on a regular basis is definitely a good idea.
This means that you’ll need to pay attention to your relationships. Make sure that you’re prioritizing spending time with the people you care about. It’s so common to get “too busy” for our friends, partners, and family – but these relationships are crucial to our health, and should never be sacrificed.
Pay attention to the quality of those relationships as well. The more warm and trusting your relationships are, the more oxytocin they’ll cause you to release.
Of course, increased oxytocin is not the only benefit of relationships. Spending time with people you care about helps to improve physical and mental health in so many ways. I’ve never understood why most doctors simply ignore this crucial aspect of a person’s well-being. For many people, this can be a huge “missing link” in their health journey.
Although the importance of this factor is clear, it’s not always easy to know how to build and maintain relationships. Many people struggle with this, especially as they enter their 30s and 40s (and beyond). It seems to get harder for most people to find new friends once they’re solidly into adulthood, or to find the time and energy to invest into their existing friendships.
Because I know how challenging this can be, I include a whole module about relationships in Mind Gut Skin Academy. We’ll explore different ways to find new friends and to strengthen your existing relationships.
You’ll also have the chance to receive support from others inside of our MGS Academy communities. They can give you tips and advice on how to deal with issues in friendships, or how to nurture new relationships. In fact, these communities are a great place to make new friends as well.
The importance of authenticity
It’s not enough simply to have relationships – you need to have the right relationships. If you’re not able to be your authentic self inside of a relationship, then you likely won’t be able to build the level of trust that allows your oxytocin levels to go up.
Hiding parts of yourself in order to be liked or approved of might feel like it’s helping you to have more friends, but these friendships won’t be nourishing or fulfilling. It’s like eating candy, when what you really need is a nutritious meal.
I know that for me, the process of learning to show my authentic self was definitely not easy. In fact, there are still times when I struggle with this. Sometimes I have moments of low self-worth, and I feel like I want to hide behind a wig again. I’m afraid of being rejected.
We all feel the fear of rejection. But honestly, for me, that fear actually hasn’t come true at all. In fact, since I stopped hiding and started living authentically, I now have more friends than ever before. It turns out that people are attracted to authenticity. They’re drawn to spend time with those who are confidently living as their true selves.
Showing other women how to live more authentically is a huge part of my mission. I didn’t have any mentors to help me figure out how to do this. I had to learn it on my own. Once I found out how powerful this path can be, I knew that I wanted to help other women along this path. There’s no reason for others to struggle like I did. I can provide a roadmap to guide you, to make your way a little easier.
You’re not alone. Your true self is more than enough – in fact, your authenticity is needed in this world.
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