Yes it most certainly can! A study on stress and acne conducted last year by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that stress makes teen acne worse. Many had suspected this for years but no conclusive proof existed. The study determined that teens who experienced high stress levels were 23% more likely to have acne that was more severe than their less stressed peers.

This study is the first of such a magnitude that conclusively proves the link between stress and the severity of teen acne. Gil Yosipovistch said that acne plays a critical role in both physical and pyschosocial health and that his study intended to understand how these factors co-exist and influence each other. Most of the 94 teens that took part in the study had mild to moderate acne.

Why does acne get worse when we are stressed? When we become stressed the body responds by causing inflammation in the cells and tissues. This inflammatory process may be involved in teen acne breakouts after or during stressful periods.

Researchers found that teen acne worsened around the time of the midyear exam and improved around two months after the exams. They also measured sebum levels which tend to go up and down depending on the temperature and humidity. These levels did not change much based on stress levels but the severity of the teen's acne breakouts did. The researchers are not clear exactly how inflammatory processes are linked but suspect that they are the cause since it is already understood that stress can trigger infalmmation in the body.

So, there you have it! Chill out people! Stay calm, find ways to keep stress at bay and your acne will improve too.

Love with Hope

Johanna