The relationship between acne and stress has been a topic that has been debated for many years. In recent years there have been several studies that show stress can actually aggravate acne causing an increase in breakouts.

Studies that were conducted by some of the most prestige universities show that stress does aggravate acne. During the time around exams, students suffering from acne showed a significant increase in breakouts. The mixture of the stress and poor diet are a toxic mixture for acne.

There are two ways stress worsen acne:

• By reducing the body’s ability to heal, on average reducing our abilities to heal wounds by 40%
• By stimulating the adrenal glands (located above the kidneys), and releasing male hormones that in turn, stimulate the sebaceous gland (found in the skin). The sebaceous gland releases sebum (oil) and as and end result aggravates acne and causes breakouts.

These scientific facts alone are enough to prove stress is a major player in acne breakout and adding in the poor diets of people under stress; it is safe to say that stress and acne go hand in hand. These new developments are very important in understanding acne and its causes bringing us closer to finding better treatments.