A healthy mind manifests itself in a healthy body. This is very true when we come to the point of discussing acne, its causes and acne treatment. The health of our skin it affected by the levels of stress we experience. High stress levels can suddenly cause pimples to pop up overnight. This kind of acne is skin-deep, not merely in the literal sense of the term, and it must be treated holistically.
Relation between stress and acne:
Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted by our body when we are under stress. When this travels through our blood stream, it causes an increase in blood pressure and the dilation of blood vessels. The body’s response to this is the breaking of pore walls. Stress related acne increases because of the overdrive of adrenalin and increased androgens. Stress causes changes in our daily patterns of eating and sleeping. This affects the spurt of acne on our skin. We cannot actually say that stress causes acne directly. But yes, it is an established fact, researched and proven, that stress induced hormones and neuroactive substances speed up the occurrence of acne. Emotional stress can be caused because of several reasons including work pressure, anxiety due to exams, relationship problems and so on. Lacks of sleep, smoking, drugs, hectic lifestyle and increased physical activity without adequate rest are reasons for physical stress. Stress causes acne and it can pretty well have an inverse effect as well.
Treatment of stress related acne:
Stress is not the only reason for those undesirable eruptions on our body and face. But cutting out on stress does help reduce acne. The best acne treatment would cost you nothing more than staying relaxed, following a healthy nutrition and exercise regime, meditation, a good night’s sleep, smiling and staying happy. Acne pimples treatment can also be done by topical application of acne treatment creams. Herbal acne treatment also helps in the reduction and curing of acne and the scars that are caused by it. Facial hygiene is a very important factor in keeping the germs at bay. Drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins and your skin is sure to glow with health.
If the case of acne is severe, then a visit to a doctor is recommended. On consultation, he will diagnose the causes of your case of acne and treatment will be given accordingly. This may be in the form of acne topical treatment, acne oral treatment or a combination of both. A slight change in your lifestyle, if very hectic or emotionally draining can also make a huge difference in acne related problems.
I am a yoga and meditation teacher. And I know very well how stress can cause several health problem including acne breakouts. Your article is really informative, but I would like to add a few more points. Cutting out stress is quite simple but you need to follow a strict routine. Any type of physical exercise, yoga, and meditation will help you to achieve it. Listening mild music is also beneficial in controlling stress level.
I am a marketing manager. Though I have a hectic schedule, I always try to make out some time for yoga and meditation. It has really helped to reduce my stress level. More than that, it has also helped to control my acne breakout. Thanks for the article.
I have taken your advice and have started doing yoga. Though I still have acne, my skin looks better than before. Also, yoga has helped me to control my stress level. I really like reading your articles and have even subscribed to your feed.
Here is another tip for those who are suffering from sleep problems. You can hear some nice soothing music or relaxation CDs before bed.
I’ve started to force myself to sleep more, as per ur advice, and i find my zits are few and far between as long as i SLEEP more, which means my husband gets to attend to our 8 mo. old from 10 to 3am, and i take over 3am to 7am (he needs to be at work by 9am, me by 8 am so we found this schedule to work best with our sleep cycles, the baby’s, and my need to sleep more to avoid a freakish breakout out of teen-style pimples!).