Can Stress Really Affect Acne?
The Truth About Acne and Stress
Stress can do a lot of things -- increase blood pressure, trigger migraines, induce depression, but can stress actually contribute to acne? While the medical community may debate about the effects of stress on acne, the facts might just surprise you.
Stress is Ugly
Seriously, stress is one ugly foe if you don't know how to manage it properly. It can contribute to weight gain, heart disease, headaches and, yes, it can also contribute to acne. But note something here -- the keyword is "contribute" and not "cause".
A Contributer
Yes, stress can contribute to acne. But if you don't have the propensity for acne to begin with, stress probably isn't going to have much of an affect on your complexion. That being said, if you don't have flawless skin, avoiding stress might help you avoid breakouts too.
What's the Deal?
So how does stress affect acne? When you are under stress, your body produces certain hormones, such as cortisol. These hormones affect your body's oil product and tend to wreak havoc on your skin. Eventually, breakouts ensue. The more stress you endure, the more your skin is affected.
Minimizing the Damage
Is it possible to completely avoid stress? Not if you live in the real world. However, you can learn to cope with stress effectively (yoga, mediation and prayer are all wonderful ways to manage stress). You can also make sure you pay very close attention to your skin care when you are experiencing more stress than usual.
When stress attacks, cleanse your skin at least once a day with a gentle acne cleanser. Also make sure you immediately spot treat any blemishes should they break through. A ZENO acne zapper is a great way to treat blemishes that pop up due to stress.
Remember, you can't eliminate stress completely, but you can definitely reduce the affect it has on your acne.