Stress and Acne Acne is a systemic, inflammatory disease. Systemic is simply put everything you do, or referring to the body as whole. In relation to acne everything you do from exercising to sleeping or encountering those stressful situations has an impact on your acne.
placed under stress it produces a necessary hormone called cortisol. Young people are able to bounce back rapidly (a few hours) but it is a different story for adults. When the release of cortisol is triggered in adults, in can circulate in the system for days, exacerbating acne flare-ups. Have you noticed that acne tends to show up at the most inappropriate times? Believe it or not this is no coincidence and can be linked to stress and the hormone cortisol. While at first glance this may seem like bad news it may actually be good news. The good new is instead of acne being a completely random occurrence; there is an identifiable physiological cause of acne flare-ups; stress. Of all the physical conditions human beings experience stress is potentially the most deadly. Think about the things on a daily basis that can cause stress. Driving in traffic, financial issues, holiday shopping, work related challenges, study for the big exam, or even exercising too enthusiastically can all create stress. Any activity that is practiced in excess can lead to a stress response. This is vitally important to remember if you hope to control your acne flare-ups. To fully understand the stress response it is necessary to learn about the adrenal hormones. Any form of stress, whether emotional or physical, results in the activation of the stress response in our bodies. It is the body’s survival mechanism, and has been around since the earliest days. For the caveman simply going to get a drink of water might result in a life threatening encounter with a very large, hungry, prehistoric animal. Such an encounter would trigger an immediate surge of adrenaline to flow through the body, accompanied by a release of the stress hormone cortisol into the bloodstream. The release of these hormones supercharges the body, giving the lonely caveman a better chance to avoid his current life threatening situation. When stress occurs adrenaline and cortisol spring into action, and blood sugar and amino acids rise. This provides energy at a cellular level to achieve the body’s fight or flight response. This was a very good thing when the fight or flight response was essential for the inevitable meeting with T-Rex. But when we move forward in time to today, with the constant daily stressors being an unavoidable part of daily life, a problem arises. The protective fight or flight mechanism is forced to work overtime, resulting in elevated levels of cortisol. Respected Doctor Nicolas Perricone has studied the effects of cortisol and aging. His findings indicate that elevated levels of cortisol are very destructive to the body. Elevated levels of cortisol cause an increase in blood sugar, which in turn causes an instantaneous response from our cells as they enter an extreme pro-inflammatory mode. When cortisol is present for long periods of time and in excess quantities a problem arises. Large amounts of cortisol are toxic when they circulate in our system for prolonged periods of time. Our brain cells or neurons are extremely sensitive to the effects of corisol. When cortisol is circulating at high levels it causes our brain cells to die. Excessive amounts of cortisol can destroy the immune system, shrink the brain and other vital organs, decrease muscle mass, and cause thinning of the skin. As mentioned earlier, acne is a systemic, inflammatory disease with every part of your daily life playing a role in your body’s general wellness. Everything you do from sleeping to encountering those stressful situations has an impact on your acne. Ultimately the message is that reducing stress can be beneficial if you are struggling with acne. Wishing you the best for a blemish free complexion! Herbal Supplements – Acne Treatments |
Acne Help For You
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