Can Stress Cause Acne?

There has been always been speculation as to whether or not stress can directly cause acne. The answer is still not definitive but there is there is a link between adult acne and stress, and research has proven this link. In fact, stress is considered one of the central causes when it comes to acne in adults. The scientific reasoning behind this correlation is that when your body is stressed, the increase in stress hormones can throw off your equilibrium and you can experience all sorts of changes, such as weight gain, increased blood pressure, and worsened acne. Experts are divided on whether stress creates acne or just worsens it, but it does increase the amount of oil your skin secretes, which can clog pores and cause breakouts. If you are worried about oily skin, you can help unclog your pores with an oily skin moisturizer.

There is no way to directly prove this, but if you are suspecting that stress is the cause of your worsened acne outbreaks there are a couple things you can do. The first is to be aware of when breakouts tend to occur, and examine your stress levels from the preceding week. If breakouts tend to match up with the times that your body is feeling stressed, there is probably a link. Make sure to note though, that stress related acne is outspread and doesn’t tend to cluster in specific spots. If you notice that the acne breakouts are consistently in the same spots on your face, it that could be due to other environmental factors such as: using a cell phone pressed against your skin or resting your face on your hand and spreading dirt/clogging pores.

You can practice stress management techniques to keep stress-related acne in check, and also be sure to wash your face daily with a high quality acne cleanser that is also gentle enough to not damage your skin even further. This should limit your breakouts either stress related or otherwise.