Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCauses of Moon FaceStress and CortisolOther Causes of a Puffy FaceWhat to DoWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes of Moon Face
Stress and Cortisol
Other Causes of a Puffy Face
What to Do
When to See a Provider
Cortisol face is not a medically recognized condition.The term comes from social media platforms like TikTok, where influencers claim that a puffy and bloated facial appearance is related to elevated cortisol in the body.
Cortisol face is sometimes calledmoon face, although moon face is related to specific health causes and may present differently. Unlike moon face, the effects of cortisol face are temporary.
Possible causes of moon face may include long-termcorticosteroiduse, stress, and, while rare,Cushing syndrome. The exact causes of elevated cortisol are not known. Stress may lead to rises in cortisol, but it is unlikely to cause facial appearance changes.
Long-term corticosteroid use may lead to irreversible facial appearance changes.This is called glucocorticoid-inducedskin atrophyor thin skin associated with corticosteroid use.
Cortisol face does not cause pain. Any physical changes might result from elevated cortisol and present with non-painful swelling and bloating in the face.
Lordn / Getty Images
Like cortisol face, moon face is not a specific medical diagnosis. It results when excess body fat or fluid causes the face to appear rounded. This could be from hormonal changes, weight gain, or corticosteroid use. Moon face is also associated with Cushing’s syndrome andhypothyroidism(low thyroid hormone):
How Social Media Cortisol Face Differs From Moon Face
Moon face is typically a symptom of an underlying health issue. If you have it, you should contact a healthcare provider who can run tests to determine the underlying cause and prescribe treatments. You should contact a healthcare provider if your puffy face feels sore or worsens over time.
Cortisol face may cause your face to become swollen due to fluid retention and bloating related to stressful situations. Chronic stress can affect yourimmune systemand increase your risk for inflammation, which can add to increased cortisol and facial swelling.
However, stress that leads to cortisol elevations and changes in the face is not typical day-to-day stress.You would have to be under a high amount of ongoing stress for you to have such high cortisol levels.
Cortisol is sometimes called the stress hormone because the body produces cortisol in response to a stressful situation or a perceived danger. When the body experiences such feelings, it enters a flight or fight response.
The flight or fight response has three stages:
Elevated cortisol levels can affect the body in various ways, including causing swelling.The more stressed you are, the more swelling and bloating you may have. But these changes are more likely for people who experience prolonged stress rather than occasional stress.
What May Be Making Your Face Puffy?
An injury to the face, such as a broken nose, can lead to facial swelling, including bruising and swelling around the nose and eyes.
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitorsare medications that can cause a puffy face.They are used to treat conditions likehigh blood pressure (hypertension),heart failure, andcoronary artery disease. This swelling is calledangioedema, which is swelling due to a drug allergy. Angioedema might also be linked to a food allergy or insect bite.
Your lifestyle can contribute to facial swelling. Overconsumption of alcohol, smoking, an unhealthy diet, lack of sleep, and dehydration can all contribute to facial swelling.
Is Sodium Salt? What You Need to Know for Your Health
What to Do If Your Face Is Swollen or Rounded
You can try home remedies to address facial swelling. These include:
Most causes of facial swelling require a medical evaluation, especially if the swelling causes pain, lasts for long periods, and does not improve with at-home remedies. However, facial swelling due to minor trauma or dehydration can be treated at home.
But swelling related to a severe facial trauma, an infection, or an allergic cause may require medications to treat symptoms or further testing to determine an underlying cause.
After a diagnosis of the underlying cause of moon face, a healthcare provider will recommend the appropriate treatment.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If your face swelling or puffiness worsens or lasts more than a few days, contact your healthcare provider.
You should seek out emergency treatment for:
Summary
The term “cortisol face” refers to facial bloating and puffiness. This condition has been trending on social media, where it is attributed to high levels of stress. However, cortisol face is not an official diagnosis.
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19 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baton Rouge General.Do you have cortisol face?Jones C, Gwenin C.Cortisol level dysregulation and its prevalence-Is it nature’s alarm clock?.Physiol Rep. 2021;8(24):e14644. doi:10.14814/phy2.14644Niculet E, Bobeica C, Tatu AL.Glucocorticoid-induced skin atrophy: the old and the new. ClinCosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020;13:1041-1050. Published 2020 Dec 30. doi:10.2147/CCID.S224211Hospital for Special Surgery.Steroid side effects: how to reduce corticosteroid side effects.Savas M, Mehta S, Agrawal N, van Rossum EFC, Feelders RA.Approach to the patient: diagnosis of Cushing syndrome.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022;107(11):3162-3174. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgac492National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Cushing’s syndrome.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Thyroid disease: a checklist of skin, hair, and nail changes.Hannibal KE, Bishop MD.Chronic stress, cortisol dysfunction, and pain: a psychoneuroendocrine rationale for stress management in pain rehabilitation.Phys Ther. 2014;94(12):1816-1825. doi:10.2522/ptj.20130597Harvard Health Publishing.Understanding the stress response.Kaiser Permanente.Stressed out? Too much stress, cortisol can hurt your body.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis,Yale Medicine.Sinus Infection (sinusitis or rhinosinusitis).Weisman DS, Arnouk N, Asghar MB, et al.ACE inhibitor angioedema: characterization and treatment versus non-ACE angioedema in acute hospitalized patients.J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2020;10(1):16-18. doi:10.1080/20009666.2020.1711641Goodman GD, Kaufman J, Day D, et al.Impact of smoking and alcohol use on facial aging in women: Results of a large multinational, multiracial, cross-sectional survey.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2019;12(8):28-39.National Institutes of Health.How the body regulates salt levels.Léger D, Gauriau C, Etzi C, et al.“You look sleepy…” The impact of sleep restriction on skin parameters and facial appearance of 24 women.Sleep Med. 2022;89:97-103. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.11.011NIH News in Health.Hydrating for health.Hosseinzadeh A, Thompson PR, Segal BH, Urban CF.Nicotine induces neutrophil extracellular traps.J Leukoc Biol. 2016;100(5):1105-1112. doi:10.1189/jlb.3AB0815-379RRAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Baton Rouge General.Do you have cortisol face?Jones C, Gwenin C.Cortisol level dysregulation and its prevalence-Is it nature’s alarm clock?.Physiol Rep. 2021;8(24):e14644. doi:10.14814/phy2.14644Niculet E, Bobeica C, Tatu AL.Glucocorticoid-induced skin atrophy: the old and the new. ClinCosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020;13:1041-1050. Published 2020 Dec 30. doi:10.2147/CCID.S224211Hospital for Special Surgery.Steroid side effects: how to reduce corticosteroid side effects.Savas M, Mehta S, Agrawal N, van Rossum EFC, Feelders RA.Approach to the patient: diagnosis of Cushing syndrome.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022;107(11):3162-3174. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgac492National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Cushing’s syndrome.American Academy of Dermatology Association.Thyroid disease: a checklist of skin, hair, and nail changes.Hannibal KE, Bishop MD.Chronic stress, cortisol dysfunction, and pain: a psychoneuroendocrine rationale for stress management in pain rehabilitation.Phys Ther. 2014;94(12):1816-1825. doi:10.2522/ptj.20130597Harvard Health Publishing.Understanding the stress response.Kaiser Permanente.Stressed out? Too much stress, cortisol can hurt your body.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis,Yale Medicine.Sinus Infection (sinusitis or rhinosinusitis).Weisman DS, Arnouk N, Asghar MB, et al.ACE inhibitor angioedema: characterization and treatment versus non-ACE angioedema in acute hospitalized patients.J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2020;10(1):16-18. doi:10.1080/20009666.2020.1711641Goodman GD, Kaufman J, Day D, et al.Impact of smoking and alcohol use on facial aging in women: Results of a large multinational, multiracial, cross-sectional survey.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2019;12(8):28-39.National Institutes of Health.How the body regulates salt levels.Léger D, Gauriau C, Etzi C, et al.“You look sleepy…” The impact of sleep restriction on skin parameters and facial appearance of 24 women.Sleep Med. 2022;89:97-103. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.11.011NIH News in Health.Hydrating for health.Hosseinzadeh A, Thompson PR, Segal BH, Urban CF.Nicotine induces neutrophil extracellular traps.J Leukoc Biol. 2016;100(5):1105-1112. doi:10.1189/jlb.3AB0815-379RRAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.
Baton Rouge General.Do you have cortisol face?
Jones C, Gwenin C.Cortisol level dysregulation and its prevalence-Is it nature’s alarm clock?.Physiol Rep. 2021;8(24):e14644. doi:10.14814/phy2.14644
Niculet E, Bobeica C, Tatu AL.Glucocorticoid-induced skin atrophy: the old and the new. ClinCosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020;13:1041-1050. Published 2020 Dec 30. doi:10.2147/CCID.S224211
Hospital for Special Surgery.Steroid side effects: how to reduce corticosteroid side effects.
Savas M, Mehta S, Agrawal N, van Rossum EFC, Feelders RA.Approach to the patient: diagnosis of Cushing syndrome.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022;107(11):3162-3174. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgac492
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Cushing’s syndrome.
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Thyroid disease: a checklist of skin, hair, and nail changes.
Hannibal KE, Bishop MD.Chronic stress, cortisol dysfunction, and pain: a psychoneuroendocrine rationale for stress management in pain rehabilitation.Phys Ther. 2014;94(12):1816-1825. doi:10.2522/ptj.20130597
Harvard Health Publishing.Understanding the stress response.
Kaiser Permanente.Stressed out? Too much stress, cortisol can hurt your body.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis,
Yale Medicine.Sinus Infection (sinusitis or rhinosinusitis).
Weisman DS, Arnouk N, Asghar MB, et al.ACE inhibitor angioedema: characterization and treatment versus non-ACE angioedema in acute hospitalized patients.J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2020;10(1):16-18. doi:10.1080/20009666.2020.1711641
Goodman GD, Kaufman J, Day D, et al.Impact of smoking and alcohol use on facial aging in women: Results of a large multinational, multiracial, cross-sectional survey.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2019;12(8):28-39.
National Institutes of Health.How the body regulates salt levels.
Léger D, Gauriau C, Etzi C, et al.“You look sleepy…” The impact of sleep restriction on skin parameters and facial appearance of 24 women.Sleep Med. 2022;89:97-103. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.11.011
NIH News in Health.Hydrating for health.
Hosseinzadeh A, Thompson PR, Segal BH, Urban CF.Nicotine induces neutrophil extracellular traps.J Leukoc Biol. 2016;100(5):1105-1112. doi:10.1189/jlb.3AB0815-379RR
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.
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