Is 'Cortisol Face' a Thing, or Are You Just Tired? (or Had Too Much Rosé)

I'm pretty sure your morning puffiness isn't a medical emergency

Hello, Gorgeous!

TikTok's latest dubious wellness obsession has everyone diagnosing their morning puffiness as cortisol face. In other words, the newest wellness panic is that stress is literally reshaping our faces into puffy, bloated versions of ourselves.

Delightful. There’s a reason I avoid TikTok like the proverbial plague. I find it exhausting to wade through massive amounts of disinformation and sketchy trends. So before you worry about your reflection or add yet another expensive serum to your cart, here's a reality check.

The scientific reality

The idea behind cortisol face (medically known as moon face) is real. But your stress about meeting deadlines isn’t causing it. According to the Mayo Clinic, extreme medical conditions like Cushing's syndrome can cause cortisol levels to be astronomically high, thereby distorting someone’s appearance.

Cortisol is a stress response hormone, that part is true. And it isn’t all bad. Also according to the Mayo Clinic, cortisol increases blood …