You know it does!

It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Or a vicious circle. Or both. Acne is caused by stress. But acne is so stressful! (1)


WHAT’S THE LINK?
THE HORMONE CULPRITS.
The brain has multiple complicated responses to stress. One is a higher release of CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone). It turns out that apart from its other roles, which mainly involve telling your adrenal glands to produce more of the stress hormone, cortisol, CRH affects the skin too. It significantly induces sebum production in your skin, and changes the way many of the inflammatory mediators behave. So you get the double whammy of extra oil and disrupted immune system in your skin! (2)

PICKING!
Do you pick when you’re stressed?? Stop it!! Picking not only increases the inflammation of the skin and makes the pimples worse, it can contribute to long term scarring! (3)

STRESS STUFFS UP YOUR LIFESTYLE.
Poor sleep makes acne worse. (4) And binge eating junk food probably won’t help either! (5)

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
DESTRESS!
One randomised controlled study looked at relaxation and stress reduction techniques for patients with acne. While doing these activities, acne sufferers had a significant improvement in their acne. The bad news? When the relaxation techniques were stopped, the pimples came back! (6)

STOP PICKING!
Easier said than done, I know but trim your nails as short as possible if that’s what it takes!

GET ENOUGH SLEEP AND IMPROVE YOUR DIET!
For the same price as helping clear up your skin, you will feel AMAZING!!!



CHOOSE THE BEST SKIN CARE
The ESK acne prone or oily skin kit has been specifically curated to provide the best evidence based ingredients to help combat breakouts. Combining hydroxy acids, vitamins A and B3 as well as a non-comedogenic (break-out friendly) sunscreen, it’s perfect for everyday use. Add in our latest product, the Hydroxy Overnight Mask. With 5% salicylic acid that helps combat inflammation, helps with skin cell turnover, and helps combat acne causing bacteria, it is the perfect addition as a weekly mask!





OTHER ARTICLES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
Should I exfoliate if I have acne?
Why am I breaking out?
Acne: Effective Evidence-Based methods to tackle pimples
Do I have Acne or Rosacea
Roaccutane & your skin: Dr. Ginni shares what you need to know!
REFERENCE:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjd.12149
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3051853/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjd.12149
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/479409
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjd.12149
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6224928?dopt=Abstract