It’s well known that the process of aging goes hand in hand with wrinkles, not to mention fine lines, dull and sagging skin, and an overall loss of fullness and tone in the face.
But what if aging isn’t solely responsible for what you might be noticing in the mirror? According to Annelise Hagen, a pioneer of the face yoga movement and DailyOM course creator, “what we associate with facial aging might not be aging at all. It might just be our reaction to stress and the poor health that follows.”
If you’ve noticed any unwanted changes in the appearance of your face, you might be experiencing what’s commonly referred to as “cortisol face.” In other words, the stress in your life may be the underlying culprit of the fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, sagging, puffiness, and more.
There’s good news, though. “If you address the stress piece, your face can look toned, youthful, and glowing at any age,” says Hagen.
Read on to learn more about what “cortisol face” is, why it happens, and how reversing it may enhance your overall vitality.
Interested in learning more? Check out The Science of Cortisol Face Reversal.
From an early age, Annelise Hagen couldn’t help but notice the negative beauty standards prevalent in our world. “I remember, in an act of defiance, cutting off all my hair as a teenager, and people were so angry that I cut off my long blonde hair and defied beauty standards,” Hagen recalls. “This was a moment in my life when I really realized it’s important to not blindly accept everything and to make up your own ideas about what’s beautiful. I realized we have power about the way we present ourselves.”
Now Hagen is the founder of The Yoga Face, a self-care method that blends breathwork, body awareness, and yoga principles to rejuvenate the face. And with decades of experience as a face yoga expert, yoga teacher, hypnotherapist, and wellness educator, she’s known for her work in combining ancient yogic wisdom with modern beauty and wellness practices, helping thousands transform how they look and feel — from the outside in.
Also known as “moon face,” since it can sometimes present as round and puffy, “cortisol face” is a nonmedical term that describes the appearance of premature aging and inflammation caused by chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, per the Cleveland Clinic.
“When cortisol is kicking into overdrive, this puts stress on your entire body — but in the face, it manifests as sagging, loss of tone, dullness of skin, jaw tension, and the breakdown of collagen,” Hagen says. “I think of ‘cortisol face’ as a catch-all term to describe the breakdown of our facial systems under chronic stress.”
According to Hagen, your face is an indicator of your overall health and well-being. “The face is the canary in the coal mine, and it can raise the alarm bell as to what’s going on internally,” she says. “Dull skin, for example, connotes poor health and the breakdown of the structures.” It might also indicate lack of hydration, nutritional deficiencies, stress, and exhaustion, among other concerns.
Interestingly, authors of one research review noted that high cortisol levels could serve as an important diagnostic tool for various diseases. In other words, excess cortisol doesn’t just change the appearance of your face — it affects your entire body, according to research.
“The production of too much cortisol stresses every organ of the body, especially the kidneys,” Hagen says. “This will affect our metabolism and our gut health. We’ve heard a lot about cortisol creating more fat around the midsection. It also accelerates heart rate and can cause heart stress and even heart disease. The whole cortisol phenomenon points to acceleration in aging.”
Yes, addressing stress levels can dramatically affect the appearance of your face — helping to reduce or reverse signs of premature aging and inflammation — but as it turns out, its benefits go deeper than the skin, too. Here’s how taking care of your face can enhance your entire well-being, from the outside in.
These days, it’s all too common to spend thousands of dollars on facial-rejuvenation procedures that might have serious health ramifications. “We can maintain and improve our facial appearance — and embody that youthful glow that will inspire others — with really simple practices,” Hagen says. “And if you can save yourself some money by practicing holistic health for the face, how great is that?”
For example, one study found that face yoga improved facial muscle tone and strength, promoted relaxation, and enhanced the aesthetic appearance of the face. And a separate pilot study found that at-home facial exercises performed over 20 weeks helped increase fullness in the upper and lower face.
Addressing your facial appearance is not just skin-deep, Hagen says. “The face is the harbinger of our overall physical and spiritual health,” she notes. “Working with the face is going to help the body’s underlying structures, too.”
For one, it directly activates the lymphatic system, which is essential for a healthy immune system. “The lymph system is the garbage removal system of the body, and when we practice lymphatic drainage for the face, it naturally goes down to the neck and the breast area,” Hagen explains, which helps to flush out toxins.
“I love to teach my students empowering practices that transform their faces for the better, and that are easy and simple while also calming the mind and de-stressing the whole system,” Hagen tells us. “The antidote for cortisol face is to move the nervous system from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest mode, or from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic.”
Stress-busting exercises and practices, especially when performed on a daily basis, are step one. Hagen adds that they slow the heart rate and decrease the production of cortisol to not only change the appearance of your face, but also to quiet and calm the mind while reducing anxiety and overwhelm simultaneously.
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that some of the tools used to reduce cortisol face — including mindfulness, meditation, and other relaxation interventions — were effective at balancing cortisol levels.
Using healing practices for the face on a frequent basis may lead to deeper self-awareness, a stronger spiritual connection, and more self-acceptance of who we really are at heart — a spiritual being in a human body, Hagen says.
“By befriending our faces as they really are, and sending care and love to our faces, we are honoring and acknowledging our journey as human beings,” she explains. “The face is a core part of our identity. Rather than trying to change or mask it with makeup or invasive procedures, we can deeply inquire as to what our faces need and cultivate a more loving relationship with ourselves.”
Addressing our facial appearance is a way of taking our power back when it comes to our bodies. “Changing our facial appearance through traditional healing practices, holistic health, and modern science without invasive procedures allows us to take hold of our own health,” says Hagen.
With a regimen of simple, natural de-stress practices and exercises, you’ll likely be able to change how you look and feel — and step into the healthiest, most vibrant you for the long term.
It can feel disempowering and disheartening to gaze into the mirror and see the effects of chronic stress reflected back at you. But the truth is, “cortisol face” can serve as a powerful wake-up call to better support your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
You don’t need to invest in costly procedures or inject substances into your face. Restoring your youthful glow — both externally and internally — can be done safely and naturally, in the privacy of your own home. And in time, you may notice that your transformation not only empowers you, but also inspires others to take their beauty and well-being into their own hands.
