Researchers found that people can avoid inflammatory skin conditions by reducing their stress levels.
Ever wondered why you frequently end up getting a pimple right before an important event or occasion? It may be because of the stress you undergo. Previous studies have found a strong link between stress and inflammatory skin conditions, such as acne, psoriasis and rosacea.
"Nearly everyone has some form of stress in their life, so it's difficult to determine whether stress can actually make the skin's appearance worse," said board-certified dermatologist Richard D. Granstein, in a press statement. "However, it's been known for a long time that the nervous system, which processes our stress, has an impact on conditions such as psoriasis."
The study researchers found that not only does stress cause such skin problems, it also worsens their condition. For the study, researchers exposed mice genetically prone to develop a rash similar to the inflammatory skin condition to high levels of stress. They found that these mice developed rashes while mice that weren't exposed to stress didn't.
These findings support previous statements suggesting nervous system and stress affect inflammatory skin conditions in humans.
"If you interrupt the nerves' path to an area of a patient's skin affected by psoriasis, the psoriasis improves," said Dr. Granstein. "In addition, the condition improves if you inject local anesthetic into psoriasis patches. This information strongly suggests that nerves play a role in how psoriasis operates."
Stress causes the skin's nerve endings to release an increased level of chemicals such as neuropeptides and neurotransmitters. When this occurs, it can affect how and at what level our body responds to many important functions, such as sensation and control of blood flow, and can contribute to the symptoms of stress that we feel. In addition, the release of these chemicals can lead to inflammation of the skin.
"If we could block specific steps in certain pathways between the nervous system and the skin -- without impacting the whole body -- we would likely have new ways to prevent or treat some skin disorders," said Dr. Granstein. "We're gaining a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying many skin conditions, which will help us develop new therapies."
This is not the first time researchers have held stress responsible for acne and pimple breakouts. In 2003, a Stanford University study published in the Archives of Dermatology found that college students had acne flare-ups during exams, a period in which they reported more stress, compared to periods without testing. Acne severity correlated highly with increasing stress, the researchers concluded.
Unfortunately, the stress connection doesn't end there. Picking at pimples is frowned upon by dermatologists everywhere but these skin specialists also know that they cannot simply prescribe "leaving your pimples alone" as an acne remedy, despite it being sage advice.
Stress makes us fidgety and makes us fiddle with things, be it pulling at hair, twiddling pens, chewing pencils, tapping our feet or picking at our spots. Such picking at acne blemishes increases the risks of skin infection and scarring and also spreads the bacteria to other parts of the skin, creating a chain reaction of acne when stressed. Meditation and mindfulness may be helpful for autoimmune skin diseases such as vitiligo which, like acne, also have a stress connection.
