What is ‘cortisol face’? How to tell if your facial swelling is a sign of a bigger health problem

If you've been on social media recently, chances are you've heard about "cortisol face," a term to describe facial swelling or puffiness, allegedly caused by high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. On TikTok, videos about #cortisolface have racked up tens of millions of views. "You're not ugly, you just have cortisol face," has become a popular tagline.

Influencers claim that stress triggers high cortisol levels, which cause their face to appear visibly rounder, fuller and puffier. Many allege that managing their cortisol levels by reducing stress changed their facial appearance, posting dramatic before-and-after comparisons of their "glow up" to a slimmer, more chiseled face. Others promote lifestyle changes and remedies that they claim can lower cortisol and transform facial features — from supplements to diet regimens and self-care.

Is cortisol face real? Can high levels of the hormone in response to stress actually cause the face to change shape? Experts explain what cortisol is, what causes high levels of cortisol in the body, and what many creators are missing about hormones and facial swelling. “While cortisol face is not a medical term, it has gained popularity on social media to describe puffiness of the face thought to be due to high levels of cortisol,” Dr. Priya Jaisinghani, endocrinologist in the Holman Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at NYU Langone Health, tells TODAY.

com. It’s unclear exactly how or where the term originated, howeve.