Why orgasms are great for your skin

In case you missed the ever-proverbial memo, an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away. Unless, y’know, the doctor is also your lover. Ba dum tss.

Real talk, though. In addition to simply feeling really yes!, orgasms also have seemingly innumerable benefits for the mind and body—particularly your skin. Facts: (good) sex makes us happier, more relaxed, less stressed, and even helps us get more in shape. It helps us sleep. It can detox our bodies, boost immunity, and help our brains work better. With results like that, how can your skin not glow?

Let’s break it down, shall we?

How orgasms improve skin health

Sex is steamy and gleamy—and sometimes romantic—but it’s also pure science, baby.

Here’s how orgasmic sex or masturbation can make your skin look calm, clear, and youthful:

It’s a stress-buster.

Orgasms reduce stress, and reduced stress helps to improve skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and acne. A survey conducted by Carol Ellison found that 39% of women who masturbate do it to relax. Indeed, there is research to show that when women orgasm, the amygdala (the part of the brain associated with anxiety), switches right off. Other studies have found that low levels of oxytocin in the bloodstream are connected to high levels of stress, tension, and anxiety, all of which impact your skin. How convenient then that oxytocin, AKA the “love hormone,” is released during orgasm, helping to reduce stress and inflammation, and even prevent wrinkles.

You’ll sleep better.

This (not) just in: orgasms can help you sleep better. Add to this the strong correlation between lack of sleep and acne, and you’ve got a clearly outlined course of action. Doctors recommend a full, uninterrupted 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep to allow your skin to perform necessary maintenance and repairs. Our immune systems also heal more easily when we sleep for longer stretches of time, and when we have more frequent orgasms. It’s all so very connected, you see. Big, bad bonus: better sleep = better sex. So by all means—please do heed that postcoital call to roll over and fall deeply asleep. Your skin and your sex life will both thank you.

Good, good estrogen.

A 2009 study revealed that climaxing raises your estrogen levels. And it just so happens that estrogen, in turn, helps to prevent skin aging in several different ways. For one thing, it prevents the erosion of collagen, a key protein for maintaining youthful-looking skin. Along with endorphins and human growth hormone or HGH (both released during orgasm), estrogen also helps to promote skin density and elasticity or suppleness, which helps your skin to resist wrinkles—especially premature ones. If you're not impressed yet, know that estrogen can even help to lock in your skin’s moisture, giving you a full, youthful plumpness. Yes please.

Forever young.

If you weren’t already duly impressed with the jamboree's worth of happy hormones released during an almighty orgasm, here’s another one for you: dehydroepiandrosterone. Can’t pronounce that? Call it DHEA. DHEA is known for its anti-aging benefits—namely its power to repair skin and tissues, keep your skin firm and hydrated, as well as boost immunity and brain function. It also helps produce testosterone and estrogen, both vital sex hormones. While our bodies produce DHEA naturally in our adrenal glands, our levels tend to peak in early adulthood and fall gradually as we age. But orgasms, my friend, will provide you with a nice, fresh, blast of that divine DHEA—-elixir of goddesses.

That glow, though

Climaxing makes your heart rate and your blood pressure move on up (as with exercise), which improves the circulation of oxygen and essential nutrients to your skin—including your face! In addition to flushing out toxins, increased circulation is key to gifting you with that famously gorgeous afterglow. When your blood vessels begin to dilate, the result is a flushed look. And an increase in the amount of oxygen flowing through you stimulates collagen production. Fun fact: some research has found that couples aged 40-50 who have 50% more sex than other people their age look up to 7 years younger than the rest of their cohort.

Perhaps the best thing about the beneficial effects of orgasm on your skin (incidentally, your largest organ!) is that fancy schmancy products are totally unneeded. The goods are all within you—literally, baby. And the best part is that you can reap all the benefits of an orgasm whether you’re having sex with a partner or flying the solo plane to pleasureville.

Ultimately, the pursuit of healthy, glowing skin might just be a delightfully naughty journey—one that helps you forget you had grievances with your glorious skin to begin with. From increased blood flow, to the release of stress-reducing and happy-making hormones, to a damn good night’s sleep, orgasms offer an all-natural and fun-as-hell way to make your skin look radiant and vital.

So, why not indulge in a little self-care? After all, when it comes to your health in general and the health of your skin in particular, ain’t no Big O too wide not to reach for the other side. <3