How can stress impact acne?
Have you ever noticed that whenever you become stressed, your skin takes longer to heal, feels more oily, congested or inflamed? Well, I’m here to explain the WHY behind this.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS AND ACNE
Excessive amounts of sudden and prolonged stress can sometimes cause changes within the body chemistry, therefore increasing the risk for recurring acne to develop. Although scientists have not come to the conclusion of fully understanding why stress causes acne, they do know that your body produces a corticotropin-releasing hormone, which has a special affinity for the receptors in your sebaceous oil glands. When it binds with those receptors, your oil production increases.
And how does acne typically begin? Sebum, which is the oily substance on our skin, mixes with dead skin cells and environmental stressors. When a person begins to develop an increased level of stress, the skin produces sebum, creating the exact environment in which bacteria likes to grow.
STRESS HORMONES AND YOUR SKIN
What is acne-prone skin?
Acne-prone is result of a combination of factors which lead to clogged and blocked pores, some of which are stimulated by hormones - cortisol and androgens - these are secreted by the endocrine system.
What is the endocrine system?
The endocrine system is made up of several organs called glands. These glands, located all over your body, create and secrete (release) hormones. Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, skin, muscles and other tissues. To summarize the technicality of this system, these signals tell your body what to do, how and when to do it.
How does this relate to acne?
These hormones create an escalation of sebum production, and high population levels of Propionibacterium acnes, a bacteria that lives in the human skin and feeds off sebum. This begins to put stress on the pilosebaceous duct, which causes inflammation and can result in acne.
Stress can cause gut peristalsis to slow down leading to constipation and poor detoxification of waste and hormones, which can significantly impact the skin. Focusing more on emotional stress, this can lead to poor sleep which prevents the body from doing its important skin healing work overnight. This can contribute to the neuropeptide mediators which trigger mast cell activity on the skin, affecting the skin barrier and contributing to peri-oral dermatitis.
Now, with that said, there is never a 100% conclusion that stress is the only culprit to your acne production. The best way is to monitor when you experience acne triggers or flare ups. Create a food or mindset journal. If you define yourself as a woman, track your cycle. Begin to learn and listen to your body's wants and needs. This will allow for a better understanding of what contributes to these flare ups, and how we can begin to manage and decrease them.
HOW TO TREAT ACNE POST STRESS BREAKOUT
The beginning steps of treating acne, and calming inflammation starts with a commitment to a daily skincare routine. I like to call this a daily self love routine in which you take 10 minutes for yourself morning and night. It allows you to focus on being gentle, compassionate and kind to yourself, and your skin.
Now as much as having a solid skin care routine is a huge contributor in the overall healing processes, it is typically not the only thing that needs to be attended too. Diet and lifestyle changes are something to consider, especially if you are constantly consuming coffee, alcohol or sugars which in itself trigger these hormones. If you live a fast paced life with little to no downtime, or lack sleep, these can all affect your endocrine system, regardless of feeling internally stressed.
Here are some of my favourite ways to treat and heal breakouts
Regular facial treatments
Consistent skin care regime (not changing products every month)
Anti-inflammatory diet, reducing coffee, sugar and alcohol intake
Acne patches to avoid picking or popping and spreading bacteria
Ice rolling or facial ice bath
Regular meditation, daily walks or movement
WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID PICKING OR POPPING
When stressed, sometimes looking at blemishes can create more unnecessary emotions which then results in us picking, popping, squeezing and trying our best to not see what is really there. This habit is a tough one to kick, but is always the first priority when dealing with any stage of acne formation.
Why?
Picking and popping will not get rid of the problem
Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin
Causes more swelling, inflammation and redness
Can create Hyper and Hypo Pigmentation
Creates ice pick or box scarring
HOW TO DECREASE STRESS
This is not a one size fits all….decreasing stress levels is not as easy as it seems. This is a daily ritual in which you can do for yourself to enrich your life, and provide a safe space of self care to relieve and calm your nervous system. Remembering that stress is a normal part of life and an emotion that is inevitable to feel at some point is important, but allowing yourself the grace to practice how to manage these emotions will not only help reduce inflammation in the skin, but the entire body itself. Remember, every part of us is connected.
Some simple steps you can take to reduce stress include:
breathing exercises and practicing meditation or yoga
consistent 6-8 hour sleeps and maintaining a healthy diet
spend time in nature
reducing coffee and alcohol intake
exercising regularly
seek counseling or talk to a family member/friend
reiki, acupuncture and reflexology
going for a walk outside
taking a bath with candles and reading a good book
stretching before bed
regular lymphatic massage
using a diffuser with calming scents
The bottom line is, acne can run so deep through us physically and mentally. It can feel swollen, red, and hurt to touch. It can deprive us of seeing who we are, our natural and true beauty. Acne is so much more than “red bumps” on the skin. It can be debilitating. We encourage everyone to move through acne with grace, compassion and love for yourself. Speaking to yourself with kindness, almost like how when you talk kindly to plants they thrive and grow faster, I like to relate this to your skin. If you talk kindly and have patience in the process, you are on the right path of healing.
“The current state of your skin, does not measure your worth or your beauty”