Stress Acne

The definition of “stress” varies for each individual based on your personality, problem-solving abilities, and social support system. Your brain cannot differentiate whether the stress you are experiencing is real, as in physical danger, or whether it is perceived, as when you are stressed about an upcoming exam or interview. Stress causes an inflammatory response on your skin, which can cause the walls of clogged pores to break. The body then responds with redness around the broken pores and increasing pus, which leads to stress acne. Fortunately, there are many methods to stress less — both internally and externally — to attain clearer, healthier-looking skin.

What Role Do Hormones Play in Stress Acne?

When individuals experience stress, the adrenal glands become hyperactive and increase the production of androgens (male hormones). Higher androgens can lead to more acne, especially in women, who produce a much larger percentage of their androgens in the adrenal glands than men do. This is likely why stress acne seems to affect women more than men.

What is Causing Your Stress?

Symptoms of stress depend partly on what is causing the stress and partly on your own coping methods. External causes of stress, such as being in a dangerous neighborhood or uncomfortable living situation, can produce the hormones cortisone and adrenaline, which are involved in the fight or flight response. If you live in areas where pollution is high, chemicals can also remain unreleased in your blood stream for a long period of time. Additional external stressors may include financial pressures, racial or sexual discrimination, or even isolation. When there is a lack of social support, this contributes to increasing the amount of stress one experiences. External stressors may produce physical symptoms such as unfocused anxiety, tense muscles and increased pulse.

Social or emotional stressors, also considered external stressors, often stem from relationships. If you are having problems with friends and family members, preparing for a big event, experiencing marital disagreements, or caring for someone who is chronically ill or has special needs, your body may be in a constant state of alarm. This can increase the risk of acute and chronic psychosomatic illnesses as well as weaken your immune system. Other social stressors can also come from the workplace, including job dissatisfaction, insufficient pay, office politics, meeting deadlines, or conflicts with coworkers.

Physical stressors may include overly demanding sports and exercise schedules, lack of sleep, hectic or sedentary lifestyles, and lifestyle habits, such as smoking and/or drugs.

Internal causes of stress, on the other hand, tend to be self-generated. These can include the type of attitude you have, whether it is positive or pessimistic, low self-esteem, unexpressed anger, lack of assertiveness, unrealistic expectations, and self-criticism.

What Can You Do About Your Stress — And Its Impact on Acne?

Examine the life around you. Are there situations, like the ones listed in the section above, that are taking a toll on your well-being? By including some of these simple tips below, you can help alleviate your external and internal levels of stress for a healthier lifestyle and clearer skin.

• Take proper care of your skin. Thoroughly wash your face and apply moisturizer in the morning and evening. If you use an acne remedy, such as Proactiv, be sure to follow the regimen regularly. Always remove make-up before going to bed to allow your skin to breathe.
• Eliminate external factors, such as grease, oils, and sun, which can contribute to clogged pores. Use oil-free sun protection products with a minimum protection of SPF 15 and both UVA and UVB protection.
• Get as much rest as you can to recharge your body. Most experts recommend an average of eight hours per night. If you are unable to sleep for such an extended amount of time, see if you can add a nap into the middle of your day. Just a 20-minute nap can have you feeling rejuvenated.
• Try journaling a bit every day about what your stress, worry, anxiety, and tensions. By expressing your emotions, you begin to process your feelings at a deeper level and can leave them on the paper rather than on your mind. It is also helpful to reach out to trusted family, friends, or colleagues to talk about what you are experiencing — a strong support system can help you move through stress in a healthy way.
  • Learn how to calm your internal mind. When emotions are in overdrive, your adrenal glands may be creating more cortisol, the substance that causes your sebaceous glands to produce increased amounts of sebum oil, which can block pores and trigger acne flare-ups. Internal stressors often cause “inflamed papules” or small, solid inflammations (or skin elevations that do not contain pus), instead of whiteheads or blackheads. While it may be challenging at first, try to incorporate a brief meditation in your daily routine, slowly increasing the amount of time you spend meditating each week. Studies show that the more you can learn to calm your mind and make peace with your inner emotions, the healthier your physical body also becomes.
  • Chat with your primary care physician or a nutritionist about how to maintain a regular well-balanced diet and exercise plan to keep your body healthy on the inside and out. Be sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Water helps to naturally flush toxins from your body. If you are living a highly stressful lifestyle, consider taking a yoga class or simply going for a long walk once or twice a day. Movement gets healthy energy circulating throughout your body.

You may not be able to control all of the factors which are causing stress in your life, but you can alleviate many factors to reduce the occurrence of stress acne and to ultimately live healthier and happy all around.