The Dangerous Side Of The “Cortisol Face” Trend And Our Self-Diagnosing Culture

Social media is rife with advice on how to improve your looks, health, and mental well-being. If you want gorgeous, thick hair, just do a scalp massage every day and train your hair to produce less oil by washing it less frequently. If you feel bloated, do a gut cleanse and detox all the bad gunk from your body. If your neuroses are getting the best of you, peel and eat an orange in a hot shower and it’ll fix your anxiety.

However, the truth is that these beauty and wellness hacks are just myths — anecdotal advice people who have no medical credentials tout on social media as real scientific facts and offer questionable treatments for. The newest fad in the beauty field is conquering “cortisol face” — face puffiness or the  appearance of a so-called “chronically round face” caused by the stress hormone cortisol.

But is cortisol really to blame here? Bored Panda decided to delve deeper into the phenomenon of “cortisol face,” morning puffiness, Cushing’s disease, and self-diagnosing on social media. We consulted nurse practitioner Michaela Robbins, DNP, AGNP-BC, and cardiologist and internal medicine specialist Dr. Asim Cheema, who told us more about cortisol, why your face might be puffier than usual, and what we should do about it.