The Solution to
“Quarantine Skin”

How’s your skin doing in isolation? Has it been acting up: dry one day, irritated and red the next, with the occasional pimple popping up here and there? If that sounds familiar, just know that you might be social distancing but you're not alone. I'm with you. And a quick search on social media will reveal plenty of the same gripes.

But why? To get some answers, we rang up dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research, Department of Dermatology at New York's Mt. Sinai Hospital. He said that the reaction is somewhat normal—anything that disrupts your life in such a big way can throw your skin out of balance.

"We know that stress can have a negative impact on the skin, and social isolation because of the contagious virus is certainly stressful," he says. "Our bodies respond by boosting levels of a hormone called CRH. This increases cortisol levels to prepare our bodies for the stressful environment, but it also stimulates oil production leading to acne breakouts."

The fact that many of us aren't getting proper sleep (again, due to anxiety) and a quarantine diet of extra snacks and alcohol all contribute to shocking our system. The end result is a ruddy, angry complexion. Thankfully the fix is fairly simple and is probably good life advice in general: simplify things. Herewith, doctor's orders.