What Causes Breakouts During High Stress Periods
Have you ever noticed pimples popping up right when life gets overwhelming, like during a tough week at work or before a big exam? This happens because stress triggers hormones that mess with your skin in specific ways.
Your body releases a hormone called cortisol when you are stressed. This is your main stress hormone, made by the adrenal glands. Cortisol tells the sebaceous glands in your skin to pump out more oil, known as sebum. Too much sebum mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria, clogging your pores and leading to breakouts.
Stress also ramps up inflammation. Cortisol and another hormone called CRH increase inflammatory molecules in the skin. This makes pimples red, swollen, and painful. They often show up as deep, tender bumps around the jawline, chin, or cheeks.
On top of that, cortisol weakens your skin’s natural barrier. This barrier normally keeps moisture in and irritants out. When it breaks down, your skin gets oily on top but dry underneath. You might feel the urge to scrub more, but that can make things worse by irritating the skin further.
Poor sleep tied to stress plays a role too. When you do not sleep well, it disrupts hormone balance and sebum levels, making acne more likely. Studies show people with sleep issues have a higher chance of breakouts.
Negative emotions like anxiety or depression from stress can aggravate this. They link to hormone changes that boost oil production. It creates a cycle: stress causes breakouts, breakouts add stress, and round it goes.
Research backs this up. For example, medical students with high stress had worse acne. Reviews confirm cortisol directly boosts oil glands and inflammation.
These breakouts differ from regular acne. Stress ones tend to be sudden, deeper, and slower to heal due to the oil-inflammation loop.
Sources
https://consciouschemist.com/blogs/good-skin-blog/stress-acne-is-real-here-s-how-to-treat-and-calm-it-fast
https://www.trummed.com/info-detail/not-just-pms-when-cortisol-quietly-triggers-your-breakouts
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12688717/
https://www.medicaldaily.com/hormonal-acne-adults-acne-causes-skin-hormones-explained-474128
https://www.latimes.com/doctors-scientists/medicine/primary-care/story/cortisol-face-common-causes-myths-diagnosis-treatments
https://www.tuftsmedicine.org/about-us/news/acne-over-30
https://artofskincare.com/blogs/learn/acne-lesson-1-what-is-acne-and-why-do-i-have-it
