How To Deal with Stress-Induced Acne

One of the many ways stress manifests itself is through acne breakouts. In this time of global uncertainty, many of us are feeling tremendous amounts of stress. In fact, stress is a major factor in the exacerbation of many skin diseases, like eczema or psoriasis. Your skin definitely reacts when it detects that you have high levels of cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone produced by your body when it is under stress.

Stress messes with your inflammatory response. This is why there’s such a thing called stress acne, because not only does stress heighten your body’s ability to overreact when it comes to inflammation, it also lowers your immune system’s ability to fight it. That means, you’re more susceptible to acne breakouts, and it would take longer for your body to recover from it.

Stress also makes us do things like pick on our skin aggressively and excessively. Many times you don’t even know you’re doing it until your catch yourself so. Trying to pick out blackheads, whiteheads or small pimples can make your acne worse, and it also carries the risk of deeper and permanent scarring.

The best way to prevent acne breakouts from stress during this time period is to properly mange it. Keep your routines going, as it gives us some sort of control in our immediate surroundings. Any sense of normalcy will put your mind and body at ease. Stick to your regular sleep schedule, because sleep is crucial at reducing stress.

Eating healthy meals rather than binging on snacks is also a good way to keep your body’s hormones well-balanced, as foods in high sugar or sodium can also contribute to acne breakouts. Exercising as often as you can is also a good way to control your cortisol levels. In general, you want to focus on self-care. Make sure to make time for yourself, and to keep yourself healthy.

If you do need topical treatments for acne breakouts and you are unable to go to your dermatologist for an appointment, you can find products like salicylic acid, which can unclog your pores, and benzoyl peroxide, which is an antibacterial and also an anti-inflammatory drug.

When under quarantine and you do need to schedule an appointment, we are offering telehealth services so you can be seen by one of our healthcare providers remotely.