While crying is usually not associated with anything pleasant, it turns out to be essential for eye health. On the other hand, how does our skin react to tears? Does crying have a destructive effect on her? Doctors decided to dispel these doubts. See how tears affect our delicate facial skin.
Crying is a natural biological process that enables us to express and process emotions and pain, among other things. However, have you wondered how tears can affect your skin? It turns out that certain habits of crying affect her reactions. Healthline.com journalists spoke to several doctors who explained how to care for the skin so that tears could not irritate it.
How does crying affect our skin?
After you cry out, do you notice a slight skin irritation? It is a natural reaction of the body. Dr. Melanie Palm, a certified dermatologist at the Art of Skin MD, explains that one reason for this irritation is that the tears are isotonic (similar to normal saline used in intravenous fluid formulations), but the pH is higher than that of our skin.
“The tears usually get closer to seven and the skin tends to pH five and a half or six,” explains Dr. Palm. Therefore, short-term crying is not harmful to our skin. The problem arises when it becomes protracted. Then your skin is exposed to changes in its hydration or slight irritation due to the difference in pH.
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The pH difference is not the only reason. What you do during and immediately after crying is also important.
“Rubbing your eyes or using poor-quality tissues can affect the skin and cause inflammation, discolor the skin, and in some cases even cause acne,” says Angie Seelal from Advanced Dermatology PC.
Moreover, crying affects our entire face. «When you cry, the blood vessels dilate around your eyes, face, and nose, causing blood to flow more. This leads to swelling, swelling and redness », says Dr. Dagny Zhu, a certified ophthalmologist.
What to do to minimize these effects? Dr.Zhu’s advice is to wash your face with cold water or apply cool compresses to your eyelids right after we cry out.. In this way, we will make our blood vessels narrow, and any swelling will subside.
Because you pass off electrolytes when you cry, you may become dehydrated. Therefore, Angie Seelala recommends drinking water and applying a moisturizing cream to the face after this episode. Preferably one that contains hyaluronic acid or ceramides in its composition. Thanks to this, you will reduce, among other things, irritation that may appear on the skin.
What are tears made of?
To better understand how your skin reacts to tears, it’s helpful to know what they’re made of. The National Eye Institute reports that it is mainly water. However, tears actually have three layers: mucilaginous, watery, and oily.
The outer fat layer prevents the tears from drying out too quickly, and the inner mucus layer allows the tear film to stick to the eyes. What is he? The tear film is the thin layer of tears that always covers our eyes around the cornea. The middle, watery layer, on the other hand, is the thickest. It is responsible for keeping the eyes moist by nourishing their tissues.
The tears are also filled with electrolytes, which explains their salty taste. They are essential minerals that have an electrical charge and are the basis of many bodily functions. They are found not only in tears, but also in sweat, blood and urine. It is important to replenish them regularly. Otherwise, the body is unable to function efficiently.
There are three main types of tears. Basal and reflex tears exist to protect the eye from pollution or irritating substances. Emotional tears, on the other hand, are a reaction to feelings.
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Health Benefits of Crying
Contrary to appearances, crying has a good effect on our body. While you may feel exhausted at first, you will experience many benefits later, both physically and mentally.
Here are some of them:
- relaxation,
- improved mood,
- body detoxification,
- the release of endorphins.
Remember that crying is a natural way to deal with pain and emotions. However, excessive or uncontrolled exposure may be a symptom of more serious physical or mental health conditions. In this case, you should seek help from a specialist.
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