Current:Home > NewsWhat is cortisol face? TikTok keeps talking about moon face, hormones. -AssetPath
What is cortisol face? TikTok keeps talking about moon face, hormones.
View
Date:2025-04-14 11:35:37
"Cortisol face" is trending on TikTok — if your cheeks are looking a little puffy or rounded, social media users might lead you believe that you have an issue with your cortisol levels.
But cortisol face isn't an actual medical term, and matching the visual requirements doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with your cortisol levels, medical experts say.
Cortisol face, also referred to on social media as "moon face," can be due to obesity or Cushing's syndrome, per WebMD. Other symptoms of Cushing's can include a hump on the back of the neck, noticeable pink or purple abdominal stretch marks, fatigue and hair growth on the face.
Here's what medical experts want you to know about the misinformation surrounding cortisol.
More:Chronic stress has different symptoms than stress. Here's how to spot the difference
What triggers high cortisol levels?
Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone, according to WebMD. It serves many functions, including regulating blood pressure and blood sugar, controlling your sleep cycle, keeping inflammation down, managing the body's use of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and helping your body handle and regulate stress.
Cushing's syndrome is the diagnosis for having too much cortisol. It could be the result of taking a certain medication (usually glucocorticoids, which are used to treat some autoimmune diseases), or pituitary, adrenal or other tumors, which are usually benign but could be cancerous, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
But that isn't automatically cause for panic. Gynecologist Karen Tang, M.D., tells USA TODAY that significant issues with cortisol imbalance are rare. It only affects 10 to 15 people per million every year, mostly cisgender women between the ages of 20 and 50, according to the Endocrine Society. She cautions against listening to medical advice on social media, which can make health issues seem more common than they actually are.
"It can make you feel as if basically everyone has a hormone imbalance," Tang says of the cortisol discourse online. "It's very effective marketing, because who hasn't had problems with fatigue or difficulty with weight loss or their mood? It feels like it's applicable to almost everyone. Obviously, almost everyone does not have a true hormone imbalance or endocrine condition that needs treatment."
How do I fix my cortisol levels?
The aforementioned symptoms could be a sign that you need to take further steps with a doctor to test whether you actually have a cortisol imbalance, and work to bring those levels back to normal.
"But for most people, when we talk about cortisol as a stress hormone that spikes if you're under stress or if you're not getting enough sleep, if we were to check your cortisol levels in your blood, they would be normal," Tang says. "So it's not something that needs treatment, per se."
In those cases, she says your best bet is to focus on things like stress management, a balanced diet, sleep and exercise to keep your blood pressure and blood sugar at regular rates.
More:Drew Barrymore, those menopause supplements she's raving about and what experts want you to know
"That being said, if you are noticing that there's something really different, your health has changed in a noticeable way that's affecting your quality of life, you're having significant weight gain, if you're going through perimenopause and you're having terrible mood symptoms or other really bothersome symptoms, it's definitely important to go see your doctor to ask for an evaluation," Tang says.
veryGood! (6576)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Orioles catcher James McCann struck in nose by 94 mph pitch, stays in game
- Jessica Springsteen goes to Bruce and E Street Band show at Wembley instead of Olympics
- Magnitude 4.5 earthquake hits Utah; no damage or injuries immediately reported
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Want to earn extra money through a side hustle? Here's why 1 in 3 Americans do it.
- Paris Olympics highlights: Team USA wins golds Sunday, USWNT beats Germany, medal count
- What's in the box Olympic medal winners get? What else medalists get for winning
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Rita Ora spends night in hospital, cancels live performance: 'I must rest'
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Powerball winning numbers for July 27 drawing: Jackpot now worth $144 million
- 3-year-old dies after falling from 8th-floor window in Kansas City suburb
- 3-year-old dies in Florida after being hit by car while riding bike with mom, siblings
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Horoscopes Today, July 28, 2024
- Noah Lyles doubles down on belief he’s fastest man in the world: 'It's me'
- Phaedra Parks Officially Returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16
Recommendation
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
NYC Mayor signs emergency order suspending parts of law limiting solitary confinement
2024 Olympics: Gymnast Jade Carey Shares Why She Fell During Floor Routine
US regulators OK North Carolina Medicaid carrot to hospitals to eliminate patient debt
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Trump and Harris enter 99-day sprint to decide an election that has suddenly transformed
Jennifer Lopez’s 16-Year-Old Twins Max and Emme Are All Grown Up in Rare Photos
Harris is endorsed by border mayors in swing-state Arizona as she faces GOP criticism on immigration