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Stress And Acne
You might have noticed that you develop a few pimples here and there just before an exam or before an important event. After your genes, stress is believed by many to be the contributor to acne formation. Women are actually more prone to stress-induced acne compared to men because they have lower testosterone level.
Some highly stressful situations you need to avoid include:
• Lack of sleep
• Erratic sleeping habit
• Bottled-up emotions
• Inadequate exercise
Ask anyone who suffers from acne and chances are, a good percentage of them will tell you they experience break-outs during high stress situations. In fact, it has long since been believed that emotional stress has an impact on the severity of your acne. A landmark finding in 2007 confirms these beliefs.
A study published in the Acta Dermato-Venereologica in March 2007 confirms what many have long suspected. Stress will aggravate acne in teenagers. The study basically studied sebum production, the body's stress levels, and acne severity in 94 Singaporean teens. The average age of these teens was 14.9 and most of them have mild to moderate acne.
The participant's stress levels were measured using a self-questionnaire Perceived Stress Scale. This was conducted a day before an important exam and again around two months later during their school holiday. In addition, the teens' sebum levels and acne severity was measured during the same timeframe. It is important to note that Singapore is also the chosen country for the study because of its consistent humidity levels and temperature which affects sebum production.
The study showed that during periods of high stress, teens are 23% more likely to experience acne severity compared to periods of low stress. However, there are no observed differences in the sebum levels on the skin in both high stress and low stress period. As a result, Dr. Gil Yosipovish concluded that acne severity during periods of stress is the result of other factors other than the amount of sebum involved. It is possible that it is related to inflammation.
As you can see, stress is definitely a contributor to acne formation. It is important for you to identify which types of situations are stressful to you and try to avoid it as much as possible. It would do no good for you to follow a strict routine of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing if you're stressed all the time because acne will form anyway. So get as much sleep as possible and learn to relax when you feel stressed out.
