Pimple scar treatment

SKIN BASICS | ACNE & STRESS A healthy approach to acne

Okay, here’s the deal. Your lifestyle does NOT cause your acne outbreaks. But the way you live, and the stress you live with, directly affect your body’s largest organ, your skin. That’s why it’s important to understand environmental factors that can trigger acne.

Your job

It’s more than job stress. Your skin absorbs 60% of what touches it. That means the substances you come in contact with on a daily basis can have a big effect, especially if they are of the comedogenic (pore clogging) variety. While they don’t cause acne, they can definitely aggravate it. There are too many different work environments to list here, but if you work around any type of oil (like airborne grease from a fast food restaurant, or industrial oils such as those used in cars and factories) you need to take proper precautions.

Your sleep

Doctors recommend sleep as a stress reducer. Believe it or not, a good night’s sleep can also do amazing things for your skin. Why? A healthy, well-rested body has the resources to build a strong immune system. This can help fight acne lesions when they occur, and that makes combating your acne a whole lot easier.

Your tan

Love it or hate it, your body needs to the sun to function properly. The Vitamin D your skin absorbs through sun exposure is essential to bone health and strength. It helps your body absorb calcium. But overexposure or improper exposure can lead to a variety of problems including sunscreen acne.

First, let’s deal with the myth. Small amounts of sun exposure can be good for acne but the benefit is temporary. Consistent sunbathing will dry your skin, causing your skin’s sebaceous glands to produce more oil. And when your skin has been exposed to the sun it has to slough off old cells more frequently. This might sound okay, but the reality is the dead cells and extra oil generated creates a perfect environment for-you guessed it-blocked pores.

The best advice if you work or play in the sun is to wear an appropriate sunscreen, one that will not further clog your pores. These are sunscreen products that are oil-free and provide at least an SPF 15 protection level from UVA and UVB rays.

Your stress level

You know stress is a bad thing (“you sure look stressed out”) but did you know acne and stress can be related? It’s purely chemical. When you become tense, your adrenal glands go to work, flooding your bloodstream with the hormone cortisol. This triggers the sweat glands in your face to produce more oil. And there is a good chance this extra oil, produced at a turbocharged rate, will mix with dead skin and clog your pores, trapping bacteria inside. The result? Mainly inflamed papules rather than blackheads or whiteheads.

Stress is a common part of life, even good stress (like getting married or buying your first new car). But it’s vital that you manage your stress as well as you can, and not just for your skin. A lot of the clichés apply. Eat right, get proper sleep, exercise, avoid stuff that causes you stress, and so on. Since you’re a unique person, you have to find your own way to deal with the reality of stress. You might hate yoga but love meditation, for example. So take the time to find out what decreases your stress. Your skin will thank you.

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