Question: How does stress cause spots and how can i manage stress levels

Laura Ginesi answered on 9 Nov 2017:

Thank you for asking this interesting question.

People often say that stress can cause spots or make them (and other skin conditions) get worse. On the other hand, research studies also show that acne is the most common skin problem in school-age students. Spots can sometimes make people very anxious, or depressed, or feel bad about themselves and their bodies. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle .

Spots are caused by changes in growth patterns and secretion of sebaceous cells that produce an oily secretion into the hair follicles to lubricate the skin and hair. Stress can affect this and make them produce more sebum, causing spots.

In a new area of research, some scientists are looking at things that cause stress in cells to find out the way they produce “free radicals” – which can damage cells and their membranes. this is an interesting topic to research, but they don’t yet seem to know if this is happening in adolescents and children with sports yet. So I would say, watch this space for new findings!

There are lots of ways to manage your stress. some scientists say that being more active can improve things; others think that mindfulness (meditating) can help. maybe some of your teachers or family might have other suggestions about best ways to do this.