The Gut Health Approach to Cortisol Face
When I was 18 and a Freshman in college, I got pneumonia really bad.
I was hella congested, coughed all the time, and felt like I couldn’t swallow.
This commenced the beginning of an era where I was having reoccurring throat & chest situations, my tonsils would swell up huge, and doctors would prescribe me steroids (prednisone) to bring all the swelling down.
My first semester of college I was prescribed prednisone 6 times.
I gained 30 lbs.
Moon Face?
When I gained 30 lbs, it showed everywhere. My tummy was rounder, my boobies were bigger, my thighs chaffed, even my ankles were bigger.
But you know where it showed more than anywhere else?
My face.
I hated that shit. You can always hide your body. But your face? Not much you can do there.
I remember in one of my early rounds of prednisone, I read the side effects, and there was one called “moon face.”
Wtf is moon face?
Well, the other day I was re-acquainted with moon face because the term has gotten a little makeover, and we now call it Cortisol Face.
“Cortisol face” refers to the facial changes that can occur when you have chronically high cortisol levels due to stress. Cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” is released by your adrenal glands in response to stress. While it helps your body handle stressful situations in the short term, long-term elevated cortisol can lead to a range of physical changes, including those on your face.
The most common signs of cortisol face include puffiness, weight gain, and fluid retention around the cheeks and jawline. This can give the face a more swollen or round appearance, often called a "moon face." Chronically high cortisol levels can also lead to acne, skin thinning, and delayed wound healing because cortisol impacts how your skin regenerates and how your body metabolizes fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
look at the difference in the buccal region!
Cortisol x Gut Health
Causes of cortisol face stem from chronic stress, lack of sleep, poor diet, and conditions like Cushing’s syndrome, where your body produces too much cortisol. Lifestyle factors like high-sugar diets, excessive caffeine consumption, and inflammation can also lead to increased cortisol production.
Cortisol face relates to gut health because the gut and brain are deeply interconnected through the gut-brain axis. Chronic stress can impair digestion and alter the gut microbiome by increasing inflammation and reducing the diversity of beneficial bacteria. High cortisol levels can slow down digestion and alter gut motility, contributing to bloating, constipation, and even leaky gut syndrome. This leads to a feedback loop where poor gut health exacerbates stress, which in turn keeps cortisol levels elevated.
But here’s what’s cool: you can address cortisol face by addressing your gut health.
Focusing on gut health can help improve cortisol face by reducing inflammation, restoring gut flora balance, and supporting overall digestion. When your gut is healthy, it produces neurotransmitters like serotonin, which help reduce stress levels and, in turn, lower cortisol. Eating fiber-rich foods, prebiotics, and probiotics can improve your gut health, reduce inflammation, and help regulate cortisol. By restoring balance in the gut, you can reduce the puffiness, skin issues, and other symptoms associated with cortisol face.
How it Works
First, a healthy gut microbiome—the collection of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system—plays a critical role in regulating stress. When your gut is balanced, it produces neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, which help reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. Over 90% of serotonin, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter, is produced in the gut. This impacts the brain’s stress response, leading to lower cortisol levels. If your gut is inflamed or imbalanced (dysbiosis), this can disrupt neurotransmitter production, leading to elevated cortisol levels and increased stress.
Second, gut inflammation can directly increase cortisol production. When you experience chronic bloating, constipation, or other digestive disturbances, it signals the brain that something is wrong. The brain then releases cortisol as part of the stress response. Chronic gut inflammation keeps cortisol levels high, leading to symptoms like water retention, weight gain, and puffiness, commonly seen in "cortisol face." By healing gut inflammation, you can reduce the body’s need to produce cortisol in response to digestive issues.
Third, gut health influences cortisol through its role in regulating the immune system. Around 70% of your immune cells are located in the gut. A healthy gut can reduce systemic inflammation, which is one of the major drivers of chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels. Conversely, poor gut health can trigger inflammatory signals, which increase cortisol production to help manage that inflammation. Improving your gut health can reduce these inflammatory signals, helping your body lower cortisol production .
Finally, healing gut issues like bloating can improve digestion and nutrient absorption. This helps your body access the essential vitamins and minerals—like magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins—that regulate the stress response. Nutrient deficiencies caused by poor digestion can worsen stress and cortisol levels. By reducing bloating and improving gut function, you enhance your body's ability to cope with stress, helping to normalize cortisol levels over time
DePuffing the Face
For years now, products like ice rollers and gua sha have been really popular for de-puffing the face, and they certainly can be helpful for moving excess lymph, but a far better tactic is focusing on your gut health. Specifically:
EAT ENOUGH FIBER: Fiber supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which play a crucial role in modulating the gut-brain axis. A diverse and balanced gut microbiome can help lower inflammation, improve digestion, and even influence stress hormones like cortisol. Soluble fiber, found in foods like oats, fruits, and legumes, helps produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have anti-inflammatory properties and improve the integrity of the gut lining. When your gut is healthier, you experience less inflammation, which can lower cortisol levels and reduce the facial puffiness and fluid retention associated with cortisol face.
DRINK MINERAL-RICH BEVVIES: Minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium support both your nervous system and gut health. Magnesium, in particular, has been shown to reduce stress and cortisol levels. It also helps relax the muscles of your digestive tract, improving motility and reducing bloating. Mineral-rich beverages such as coconut water or herbal teas with trace minerals can also help regulate electrolyte balance and reduce fluid retention, helping to relieve the puffiness associated with cortisol face. Check out my cleansing water recipe, overnight nettle infusions, and fresh coconut water.
PRACTICE MINDFULNESS: Mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing help calm the nervous system, which directly impacts your gut health. Chronic stress alters gut motility and increases inflammation, leading to digestive disturbances such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Mindfulness lowers cortisol levels by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is known to improve digestion and gut function. A calmer gut means less cortisol-related fluid retention and inflammation, which can reduce the signs of cortisol face.
SWEAT: Exercise that induces sweating is not only good for reducing overall cortisol levels but also helps improve gut motility and supports detoxification. When you sweat, your body releases excess sodium and water, reducing fluid retention in the face. Sweating also stimulates circulation, which helps your gut eliminate waste more effectively, lowering the chances of bloating and supporting a healthier microbiome. A healthier gut microbiome can reduce stress-induced inflammation, thus reducing cortisol production and the facial effects associated with it. Note: even though exercise has so many benefits, you also would probably benefit just from a good sauna sesh too.
EAT FERMENTED FOODS: Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and yogurt contain probiotics, which replenish your gut with beneficial bacteria. A well-balanced gut microbiome has been shown to lower inflammation and improve the regulation of stress hormones. Probiotics enhance the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which can lower stress and cortisol levels, directly impacting cortisol face. Fermented foods also improve digestion, reducing bloating and water retention, which helps reduce puffiness in the face.
Facial puffiness is annoying. I get wanting to look snatched in the face.
But, by addressing your gut health you can not only get rid of it faster, but also prevent it from happening in the first place. Because most things start with your gut.
For More on Gut Health & Bloating
If you want more information on gut health, bloating, and constipation; and to get recipes that will help you debloat, I highly recommend checking out my [free] Gut Health Cookbook, which has 5 yummy, gut-friendly, recipes. You can download it here.
