If you’ve scrolled social media at all over the past few years, you’ve probably come across content warning of the dangers of high cortisol levels in your body.

Countless influencers claim that the hormone causes poor sleep, depression and even a range of beauty issues, from wrinkles to puffy faces and thinning hair .

While it would be useful to have a single culprit for all of our beauty woes, is cortisol really to blame?

We asked some leading dermatologists and hair restoration experts to explain what cortisol is and why it has such a bad reputation when it comes to beauty woes.

What is cortisol?

According to Dr. Tanya Kormeili , a board-certified dermatologist with the Derm and Rejuvenation Institute in Santa Monica, California, “Cortisol is a hugely necessary steroid h

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