Dramatic collagen loss from stress/adrenal fatigue - will I ever recover?

Hi - I'm getting pretty desperate and im seeking help.

I have had excessive stress/anxiety for several years, due to a combination of early childhood experiences (which I'm seeking help for), and current life situations. I'm a 31 year old male, and apart from the effects of stress, I am healthy.

I was diagnosed with GAD in 2011. Two years ago, after a prolonged amount of emotional stress, I noticed my skin started to thin. After much research, and countless tests, I've realized that excess sreess hormones have depleted my body of collagen, in order to fuel the production of these hormones.

For two years, and with increasing intensity, I have become utterly distraught at this occurance, which has only served to speed up the degradation. I am now at a point where I have the collagen content of a 70 yr old, my skin is so loose that I can stretch it an inordinate distance, and it's so very loose every where. In the past two months, my face has dramatically thinned, a once healthy face is now gaunt, and you can clearly see the shape of my skull through my forehead. I was once a good looking guy, and relied on my looks to get me through life (again due to early childhood experiences which left me with low self esteem). I had to leave my job and move back to the UK from California for this. At my lowest point as this was occurring, I had thoughts of suicide (and for me to say that is incredible).

I am now back in California, about to start a new career tomorrow. All the while being haunted by anxiety and heart palpitations about this condition. They do not stop all day, and it's all I can think about. I look at myself in the mirror and in simply horrified, which increases stress, which increases collagen loss. I know I'm doing it to myself, but i just can't stop the anxiety. I'm seen several therapists, I'm taking supplement to help (collagen, omega 3's, zinc, vit c, biotin etc etc etc), and I'm on a regime to try and recover methylation (DNA suggests i have issues here), but nothing is helping. I'm wasting away, and I feel like my life is ending.

I have so much going for me, I'm an intelligent, likeable guy with many many friends and a loving family, and i feel like I'm losing everything. I start an amazing new career tomorrow with a huge company, and I feel like I won't last a week.

I guess my feeling of helplessness comes from the fact that I feel that even if I gain control of my stress, my skin and collagen will not recover, and I need evidence to the contrary in order to believe it will, maybe that will help get me out of this horrendous viscous cycle.

Can anybody share similar experiences? Any advice? Did you suffer like I but recover?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you can help. Tweet