Can Stress Cause Acne?

This is a question that has been highly debated for years. Whether stress may really cause acne or not, the health establishment has been uncertain until just a few years ago. But this does not mean that all doctors and physicians are believers. The medical field is still divided on this controversial acne issue.

However, a number of medical studies have provided evidence that the onset of acne in some people may be caused by stress. Stress may aggravate acne in two different ways; the first is that stress tends to stimulate the adrenal glands into producing more hormones, and the second is that stress slows the process of healing.

The adrenal glands, which can be found above the kidneys, secrete the hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine. Together with male hormones that are secreted by the adrenal cortex only under stress, this condition stimulates the release of excess sebum further promoting an acne breakout.

It is also known that psychological stress may diminish the healing capacity of the immune system by as much as 40%. This being so, only increases the probability that a number of acne cases may really be stress-related.

Also, an unhealthy diet during stressful times may have contribute to the worsening of the acne condition.

Additionally, stress not only promotes acne flare-ups, but also can affect the overall condition of the skin. While stress induces the adrenal cortex to generate a steroid, called cortisol, which triggers the production of sebum, the result is extra oily skin. This is the reason why individuals under stress genreally have pus-filled papules and inflamed acne rather than the common whiteheads and blackheads.

The Stanford University School of Medicine conducted research in 2002 to study the connection between stress and acne. Although it only involved 22 acne-inflicted students, the study established that stress actually causes the generation of acne on students under stressful conditions, like examinations or finals. The professors involved with the experiment were able to conclude that the exam actually aggravated the acne of the students under observation. It was further concluded that students who were extremely stressed during the examinations had a greater probability of experiencing more severe acne symptoms.

A 2003 study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noted the possibility of increased stress-related chemicals in the body and acne (and other skin disorders) may be closely related. This study particularly focused on the thalamus, a part of the brain which releases a hormone called corticothropin (CRH) during stressful conditions. The skin oil glands are known to generate both CRH and CRH receptors. Consequently, when CRH receptors combines with excess CRH, it produced more sebum which, in turn, resulted in the exacerbation of the acne.

Acne urticata, which is actually not acne but a form of eczema, is known to develop on middle-aged women who have undergone depression and stress. In this instance, it is not yet clear whether the stress induced the acne or the aggravated acne condition was the cause of the stress.