How to Cure Stress Induced Acne

The causes of acne are numerous, but one crucial factor seems to be stress. Keep in mind that it is that time of year. As important as it is to travel safely during the holidays, it’s equally important to limit your stress. Despite your best efforts to de-stress, you may find yourself staring at Mt. Vesuvius on your chin. How in the world do you fix this? Stop stressing over finals, or work or whatever else it is that gets you going. Stress increases hormones in your body that cause an overproduction of oil, slow the healing process and increase inflammation. All the magical tips in the world won’t be a cure if you don’t eliminate the cause. Here are a couple tips for coping with your breakouts in the meantime:

• Develop a skin-care regimen and stick with it. Consider going to an esthetician for a skin consultation, or better yet, go to dermatology for an advice. Bonus: While you’re there you can also get a stress-busting facial.
• Cleanse and moisturize your skin with non-comedogenic (pore-clogging) products.
• Use spot-treatment on existing blemishes. Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil and zinc are all common ingredients in acne-care products. It’s usually not advised to combine products with these ingredients in them unless you seek the advice of a professional first.
• Exfoliate your skin with a facial scrub a couple times a week.
• Avoid over-washing, over-medicating or otherwise over-exfoliating your skin. If you’re skin becomes irritated, scale down on the medicated products and consider asking an esthetician or a dermatologist for advice. One common blunder of acne-victims is that they try to over treat their condition.
• Avoid touching your face, use a fresh pillow case each night and clean your cell phone daily! I know this sounds like overkill but any object that touches your face brings acne-causing bacteria with it.
• In a pinch, you can use Visine on a pimple to reduce the redness. Ice will also help to reduce redness and swelling.

The best way to care for your skin will vary based on your skin type and lifestyle. These tips are only meant to serve as a starting point for you. I wish you the happiest, lowest-stress and anti-acne holidays! Now, go study for your finals.