Probably many people often ask themselves the question, how do I stop stressing acne which means of course stopping acne that’s been caused by stress called stress acne. The good news is that even if you can’t stop stress from happening because of the numerous stressful situations you have to live with, you can actually stop stress acne. If you aren’t aware of this, read on and find out just how it can be done.
The causes of stress acne
There are so many causes of stress acne and it’s not surprising since so many people suffer from so much stress these days. You only have to get a glimpse of the number of emails in your inbox to get a feeling of stress.
The water in the bathroom isn’t running, the plug to the stove is damaged so the breakfast is a cold one on a cold day and so many more! The walk to the office and work itself are hardly good at de-stressing and to have pimples thrown in would be the last straw!
Why is all this happening all at once? Cheer up, things can only get better and that would be the most reasonable attitude to take otherwise things may just get out of hand and you may find yourself walk straight back home again!
Why does stress acne occur in the first place?
When the first sign of stress becomes evident, your skin automatically goes into a “defense mode” which makes your body release hormones such as cortisol, androgens and neuropeptides.
The sad thing about the sudden release of these hormones is that they also both trigger and inflame the sebaceous glands that produce sebum that can cause a sudden boost of skin conditions including acne.
It’s generally accepted that stress doesn’t actually cause the formation of acne but it can actually worsen it, and if you are prone to acne, then any stress that you experience is bound to aggravate your condition.
There’s consensus in the medical profession that acne is an inflammatory disease that can be worsened by the release of hormones when stress is experienced because it heightens the occurrence of inflammation.
Experts say that stress acne breakouts can be determined by observing the presence of itching and redness and a large presence of blackheads and whiteheads amidst regular pimples.
Some experts can actually determine the presence of stress acne when people go through a stage of very intense anxiety and sometimes even in patients whose stress acne is normally under control.
According to one expert many instances of stress acne breakouts happen in adult sufferers when they are experiencing intense stress at work or at home which can cause their controlled acne to suddenly flare up again due to stress.
On a comparative basis, breakouts can also happen suddenly in students at the onset of their final exams. As a student yourself you may have experienced this yourself but if not at least you’ll now know that stress is something that you can deal with.
Getting rid of stress acne
If you look at the bright side of life, you would come to realize that the most serious problem you have is not the stress but the acne breakout on your face which you need to deal with it fast!
The very first stop
Everything has a starting point and for stress acne, the first stop for you is your online pharmacist so you can execute your first good deed for the day which is, getting your medication of Topical benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid over the counter or have them applied direct.
If you happen to be afflicted with a painful stress cyst, there’s always a treatment of warm or cold compress over the affected area to help minimize the pain and redness of the area. You may not know it but ordinary ice can do wonders for stress acne if you happen to have it.
Ice may not be available at the drug store but you can later make up a very easy and cheap treatment that you can provide yourself for getting rid of your stress acne. All you need is green tea made into ice cubes and used as a compress to help reduce sebum production in your skin.
Green tea is very potent and has many different remedial features which are similar to the curing features of coffee. The two have been testedto find out the ideal remedy for you.
Another treatment for controlling scarring is alpha hydroxyl acid solution with an alternative of hydrocolloid patch especially for really tough cases.
What if none of these work?
In that case, the best option open for you would be to make an appointment with a dermatologist who will prescribe a more potent treatment regimen for your stress acne should it become an ongoing condition.
The quicker you do this the better as it will minimize or even prevent acne scarring from taking place. The main type of medication your dermatologist will prescribe for you will be one that effectively regulates hormones.
A range of other medications are also available that include:
- Chemical peels
- Microdermabrasion
- Microneedling, which can greatly help with acne scarring.
Be reminded though that the above treatments are only suitable for treating pigmentation and scarring produced by acne but not for actually reducing acne. If what you need is for treating acne directly, then a dermatologist would be expected to prescribe the following treatments:
- Topical antibiotics and retinoids
- Oral antibiotics and retinoids
- Hormonal medication.
Skin care for recurring stress acne
Stress acne can keep recurring so long as anxiety and stress are continually being experienced by people and this is actually the situation these days.
There seems to be no end to stress so in order to reduce the chance of the appearance of acne knowing some routine skin care will help you if you are stress prone. All you need to do is follow the directions offered below:
- Ensure that you use a moisturizer that keeps your pores open such as Cera Ve Ultra Light SPF 30 every morning and Cera Ve PM in the evenings. Also make sure you use a pH-balanced cleanser such as Elta MD Foaming Facial Cleanser,
- After using your cleanser and before you use your moisturizer, apply gently vitamin C Mad Hippie. This procedure will help with your acne as well as other skin issues.
- It’s very important that you remain hydrated, and it would help if you could change to a low glycemic diet
Bottom line
This article has attempted to provide a clear explanation of why and how stress acne appears on the scene. It has also tried to provide information on how to keep stress acne at bay together with the kind of medications that can help treat the condition along with routine skin care methods that should prevent your stress acne from always popping up.
