Stress can cause wrinkles to form because high amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone, can break down the skin’s collagen and elastin. Research has found that chronic stress can increase inflammation, causing skin aging and accelerating the formation of wrinkles.
In this regard, can stress speed aging?
New research suggests that untreated stress can speed-up the aging process by shortening each DNA strand’s length. This can also occur with depression, social isolation, and anxiety attacks—all of which have become more prevalent in the recent year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.