How Stress Reduces Hair, Skin, and Nail Quality Stress doesn’t just affect your mood; it shows up in your appearance, too. When your body is under chronic stress, it releases high levels of cortisol, a hormone that disrupts the balance of other essential hormones, weakens immunity, and depletes nutrients your body needs for repair and growth. For your hair, stress can push follicles into a “resting” phase, leading to increased shedding, thinning, or slowed growth. In some cases, it even triggers conditions like telogen effluvium or stress-related dandruff flare-ups. For your skin, cortisol increases oil production while also breaking down collagen and elastin, causing acne breakouts, premature wrinkles, dullness, and slower healing. Stress also weakens the skin barrier, making it more sensitive and prone to irritation. For your nails, stress can reduce blood flow and nutrient delivery to nail beds, resulting in brittleness, peeling, ridges, or slowed growth. Nail-biting, a common ...