TikTok is always trying to tell you something is wrong with you. Recently, the culprit of our inevitable dissatisfaction with our looks is “cortisol face.”
Countless TikTok videos have been swarming my FYP about the prevalence of so-called cortisol face, where elevated levels of stress hormones make you look puffy and unwell. One—actually many, since they’re all copying each other—creator even started by saying: “You’re not ugly; you just have cortisol face.”
Under the videos, you’ll often see the line “Creator earns commission.” Why? Because it’s an advertisement. She’s promoting a “calming drink mix” that supposedly lowers your stress levels. That “cortisol face” ain’t gonna fix itself for free, apparently.
There are a ton of other videos spewing self-help tips like not checking your phone first thing in the morning and drinking diluted apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach. It’s basically the “balancing your hormones” trend, extended.
I get it. A lot of us face constant invalidation when explaining our distressing symptoms to a doctor. We’re often brushed off and sent home with little to no treatment options. But it’s pretty hard to argue affiliate advertising on social media is any better at addressing our vulnerabilities and insecurities.
There are a lot of well-meaning people online who truly do believe they’re helping. And honestly, maybe they are. There might be some truth to their content. I mean, it surely is better for your mental health to slow down and smell the flowers (or listen to the birdies, as one creator recommends) once in a while.
But constant underlying paranoia—and a persistent call to action—can add to the stress. In a world where everyone is telling you what’s wrong with you and what you should be doing differently—as well as pushing you to spend your hard-earned money on solutions to oftentimes nonexistent problems—it can all feel a little exhausting.
Thankfully, a doctor took to the social app to clear up some misinformation surrounding “cortisol face.”
“While it is true that cortisol is our stress hormone, and when we are stressed, we may release more of it, this doesn’t mean that you have a pathologic disease.”
She went on to add that elevated cortisol levels resulting from stress are typically not significant enough to actually cause facial swelling or change your physical appearance. Only hormonal conditions—like Cushing syndrome—can do that, and there are countless other signs and symptoms you’d notice along with it.
So, before you buy those expensive ass supplements claiming to reduce your cortisol levels and thin out your face, you might want to visit an actual doctor first. If you really do want to lower your stress and cortisol levels, you might want to get off social media.
The post You Don’t Have ‘Cortisol Face’—But That Won’t Stop TikTok Selling You Cures appeared first on VICE.
The post You Don’t Have ‘Cortisol Face’—But That Won’t Stop TikTok Selling You Cures appeared first on VICE.
