I'm A Doctor ― Here's The Reality Of TikTok's 'Cortisol Face'

We’ve written before about cortisol, commonly known as “the stress hormone,” at HuffPost UK.

WebMD describes it as the body’s “alarm system.” The adrenal glands release it, and according to the NHS, cortisol affects everything from inflammation to blood pressure and even calcium absorption.

Pertinent to TikTok’s “cortisol face” discussion, excessive cortisol can also cause weight gain. So, app users have taken to showing what they call their “cortisol face,” often followed by an “after” picture of a less puffy face. 

But is this really caused by the hormone, and do the methods some app users recommend to “cure” cortisol face (including partaking in less intensive exercise, avoiding your phone in the morning, skimping on caffeine, and more) work?

Cortisol is a powerful hormone

Recently, Dr. Karan Rajan Stitched a TikTok about the subject. He began his video by saying, “say you’re chronically stressed. It’s very likely that you also have elevated cortisol levels.” 

This, he explains, “can have an impact on the distribution of where fat is stored, as well as increasing the deposition of the ‘harmful’ visceral fat.” 

Stress can affect the hunger and satiety chemicals leptin and ghrelin too, he adds; it can mess with your energy levels as well, “potentially leading you to eat more, move less, and sleep less.” 

With all that said, is cortisol the sole cause of “cortisol face?”

Well, no, the doctor shared. “Cortisol is just an unfortunate middleman caught up in this convoluted mess.”

“It’s a symptom of the problem, not the cause itself.” 

So what is actually going on with “cortisol face?” 

Sometimes, there really is a cortisol-related medical issue. 

Cushing’s syndrome, which is rare, can lead to a puffy face and disproportionate fat deposits on the torso and face compared to the limbs. It can also cause a neck hump.

But Dr. Rajan said that “in many other cases it might be due to excess physical or psychological stress.” 

He added, “we need cortisol for energy, focus, and a lot of good things. Cortisol is often unnecessarily seen as a singular culprit, but it’s often just a physiological response to a stimulus ― much like a glucose spike.” 

“To say cortisol itself directly causes weight gain or ‘cortisol face’ is an oversimplification of human physiology to sell you something,” he added, writing “wtf is this?” over another TikToker’s recommendations to try something called “Cort-Eaze” to solve the “issue.”

It’s always a good idea to try to remove unnecessary stress from your life, as it really can have physical and mental health implications. Lucky, then, that “cortisol face” is one less thing to worry about.