What is the ‘moon face’? Here’s When You Should Worry About Cortisol: The Experts

Its not love hitting your eye.

TikTok beauty lovers have a new common enemy in cortisol. A condition called the “moon face” has put fear on the faces of stressed-out youngsters, who now believe their excess appearance can be blamed on their cortisol levels.

Also known as “cortisol face,” the term refers to a perceived side effect of too high levels of cortisol—the stress hormone—in the body.

However, doctors caution warts not to confuse the conditions that lead to “moon face” in good faith with other, more common causes of facial puffiness, such as sleep deprivation or sugar consumption.

“While chronically high cortisol levels can lead to facial swelling, this is usually seen in more severe endocrine disorders than in the daily stress that most people experience,” said Dr. Vijay Murthy, a functional medicine physician and co-founder of Murthy Health. Healthline in a recent report.

“Chronic high cortisol levels can lead to facial changes, but such pronounced effects are not usually seen outside of significant medical conditions. In most cases, daily stress does not raise cortisol to the levels necessary to produce such a dramatic physical change,” Murthy added.

What is a “moon face” and do you have it?

More precisely, “moon face” is a symptom with well-defined causes, such as taking steroids or Cushing’s syndrome, in which the body regularly produces too much cortisol – hence the alternative name, “cortisol face”.

Other lifestyle factors and conditions can cause facial swelling. High salt intake, certain medications and lack of sleep can cause water retention, leading to bloating; allergies can promote inflammation; and some medical conditions, such as kidney disease, are characterized by edema, a swelling caused by too much fluid trapped in the body’s tissues as the organs struggle to remove excess salt and water.

While the potential for chronic disease sounds scary, Dr. Gowri Reddy Rocco, a dual board-certified specialist in regenerative health and hormones, assured Well+Good that the latest beauty trends that emphasize a slim, chiseled cup — think: “Osemic face” and mewing exercises — are anonymous people’s expectations of what a healthy face might look like and that not every puffy face is a sign of underlying disease.

What causes puffy skin besides “moon face”?

Is it possible that many of the round-faced TikTokkers who complain about their “moon face” are really struggling with a chronic stress hormone imbalance? Not likely, say doctors.

In fact, too high levels of cortisol can lead to weight gain, depression and inflammation. However, rather than just cortisol being the cause of a puffy face, it’s more likely that feeling overwhelmed encourages bad habits that also cause bloating, such as drinking alcoholic beverages and eating too much junk food.

“True moon face” comes from an “accumulation of fat deposits all over the face and is usually due to excess cortisol production,” Rocco said. Among the majority of social media users who complain, the swelling effect can be attributed more to “water retention, weight gain, excessive alcohol consumption, dehydration and a poor diet high in fats, sugars and ultra-rich foods. processed. “

What is cortisol and is it harmful?

Cortisol is an essential hormone in the body and key to activating stress responses – a biological survival mechanism to trigger us into fight, flight or freeze. Produced by the adrenal glands, the hormone also helps regulate immunity and blood pressure and contributes to the functioning of the immune system. On a typical day, healthy cortisol levels peak early in the morning and decline throughout the day.

While stress is not likely to be the main factor behind facial puffiness, there may be a connection. A side effect of increased cortisol is lipogenesis, a metabolic process by which excess fatty acids are created and deposited around the face, neck and waist.

High cortisol can also contribute to water retention, causing bloating, but the effects would be subtle, according to doctors who spoke to Healthline. Prominent cases of facial swelling likely have more important underlying causes that may be related to, but not caused by, cortisol.

How do you treat the “moon face”?

“True moon face” can only be treated by removing factors that cause cortisol to build up – for example, discontinuing steroid use or, in the case of Cushing’s syndrome, surgery to remove overactive cortisol-producing glands . .

However, for those with garden-variety facial puffiness, experts recommend taking better care of yourself with more sleep, exercise, healthy meals, and, the best medicine of all, love and laughter—all of which reduce cortisol and stimulate the production of happy hormones. including endorphin and oxytocin.