So I have sort of a medical type question. I (and others) have noticed a tendency of mine to ... molt when I'm stressed. Literally the skin on my hands and feet starts to fall off. Not in a bloody sort of way, but in a sunburn, peeling sort of way. And this has happened before when I get stressed. I can't help but think that there is a correlation. Can anyone either explain this weird phenomenon to me or debunk it?
Also, gray hair. I was cutting my hair this evening and noticed an inordinate amount of gray. I know I've been graying for the past few years, but it's definitely gotten noticeably worse since I've started college and my stress level has increased. Are there any studies which seem to indicate that stress actually does cause gray hair, or is that just an old wives tale?
Anyone care to explain these mysteries of the universe to me? And does anyone else have any weird symptoms of stress they'd like to share?
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
I'm a computer programmer: "stress" is in my job description.
Stress symptoms? Gray hair, yes, most definitely. At least I'm telling myself it's stress; it's easier to deal with that than to start blaming my father for passing on his graying gene.
I also have two broken knuckles in my right hand from trying to put it through my desk on more than one occasion, but that symptom might differ from one person to the next.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I get the happy vomit time (see also: Gastritis thread). My boyfriend gets really dry skin. Like, ridiculously dry, kind of the way you're describing.
-pH
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
The skin shedding bit can be contact dermatitis or it can be insufficient fatty acids in your diet. Yeah, healthy oil=necessary for health. I've had that skin molting problem a LOT.
Gray, or white (in my case) hair can be hereditary. I have a great uncle who was completely white at 25. At least it won't happen to me until about 45ish...
Posted by jlt (Member # 10088) on :
My eczema breaks out and if I get stressed to the point where I'm about to break down, I get nauseous and spend nights worshipping the porcelin god (aka la toilette).
To help with really really dry skin what I do is use the best lotion I can get my hands on, and then THIS IS THE KEY put vaseline on top of that, then the moisturizer gets locked in by the vaseline, works like magic for me.
Posted by DDDaysh (Member # 9499) on :
As far as stress reactions go, dry skin is far from the worst.
I've gotten the nausea thing, and break outs of acne as well, but the worse is when I start shivering uncontrollably, for no reason.
Other friends have had annoying issues from diarhea, to hair falling out, even to bedwetting.
The key is really to try to control stress in general because it totally messes up the body. I had a neurologist tell me one time that it really IS a good idea to have at least one alcoholic drink a day..
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I'm glad you posted this because it makes me less bothered by these dry patches that popped up on my arm. I don't mind them if I can chalk them up to another reaction to stress.
I'll try that vaseline tip. I got a whole bunch of free moisturize this weekend from Mary Kay and I plan on slathering myself with it.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
When stressed I get GI symptoms -- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. When I get very stressed, I get other stuff, too.
Try lotion and relaxing. Poor Dr. S! Maybe some oils in your bath would be therapeutic.
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
. My bathtub is way too small for me to enjoy a bath. I don't know what they were thinking when they made it. Only midgets could truly enjoy a bath in it, but it's clearly meant to be a bathtub, not just a shower. It's baffling and saddening really. I enjoy baths.
The handy things about these symptoms is that sometimes they know that I'm done being stressed before I do. So if my hands stop molting, I'll know that I should start feeling better. Ok, so maybe it's a placebo type thing, but hey, I'll take what I can get.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
. My bathtub is way too small for me to enjoy a bath. I don't know what they were thinking when they made it. Only midgets could truly enjoy a bath in it, but it's clearly meant to be a bathtub, not just a shower. It's baffling and saddening really. I enjoy baths.