I want to share a bit of information with you to explain how stress affects acne, and offer a few suggestions on how to help your body ease into a state of rest and digest.

Stress activates the adrenal glands to produce extra androgen hormones. These additional hormones stimulate the sebaceous (oil) glands beneath the skin and the increased oil production triggers the microcomodone to flare to the surface, causing an inflamed breakout. This flare-up typically happens within 48 hours after a stressful event occurs.

The cycle creates more stress, which feeds the never-ending roller coaster of the skin calming down and flaring up again. The adrenal glands also produce hormones that you can't live without, including cortisol. Cortisol helps you respond to stress and has many other vital functions. Typically, a fight, flight or freeze response is triggered. Experiencing stress for extended periods can cause the body to forget how to rest, and it stays in a constant state of fight, flight or freeze. The adrenals also begin to burn out and produce extra androgen hormones, which again, can trigger acne breakouts.  

The goal of reducing stress is to rejuvenate the adrenal glands, and get the nervous system into a parasympathetic state. This involuntary part of the nervous system slows the heart rate and increases intestinal digestion, and is known as ‘rest and digest.’ The rest and digest function is the opposite of the fight or flight.

Here are a few suggestions that can help your body ease into a state of rest and digest:

Meditation
Quiet time / Resting with no stimulation
Prayer
Restorative or Yin Yoga
Breathing techniques
Self-care: massage, acupuncture, bodywork
A long walk