Mapping the stress-skin axis: Difficulties, strategies & prospects ahead

<p>Chronic psychological stress is linked to various skin disorders such as psoriasis and acne, yet the mechanisms are still underexplored, especially in young, healthy populations. Herein, we mainly discuss the challenges in studying the impact of chronic psychological stress on skin and suggest the following approaches, (1) conduct a population-based survey to identify distinct segments and their associations with perceived stress levels as study initiative; (2) incorporate systems-level, physiological, and biological measures across biospecimens, along with psychological, self-reported subjective experiences; and (3) utilize advanced omics technologies and noninvasive measures, like Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) at baseline and after repeated tape stripping to better capture high-dimensional data and dynamic physiological property of skin; and (4) apply multi-model framework to analyze and integrate comprehensive datasets, such as causal mediation analysis. This effort is expected to decode the significance of psychological stress on skin, hair, scalp health and provide a foundation to develop novel biomarkers of healthy skin, hair and scalp, and integrate our fragmented knowledge of skin-mind, inflammation process, oxidative stress related to beauty and wellness.</p>