Managing Stress Breakouts During the Twilight Zone

Statistics show that between 60 and 80 percent of visits to Primary Care Physicians have a stress related component. Those are pretty high numbers and I know as many people are dealing with layoffs and parents are transitioning to being teachers as well as cooks, house cleaners, referees, and so much more, the stress levels are even higher than normal. Stress is one of the number one causes of acne. When we’re stressed our cortisol levels are raised which sends sebaceous glands into overdrive therefore producing pesky breakouts. Here are a couple tips to manage stress, keep cortisol levels low and help your breakouts disappear quickly when they do pop up.

Tips to Manage Stress:

1. Avoid caffeine if you can, I know how good that coffee tastes in the morning but caffeine raises cortisol, triggers anxiety and causes dehydration. All of those have a negative impact on our skin.

2. Create a gratitude list. Scientific studies show that taking 15 minutes before bed to write down all the things you’re grateful for helps produce more positivity and ensures a better nights sleep.

3. Take a walk. Studies show even a 10 minute walk increases blood flow, produces endorphins and lowers cortisol levels.

4. If none of those work, pour yourself a glass of wine (if you’re 21, obvi). Be sure to buy wine with a DOC or DOCG label. Sugar wreaks havoc on our skin and this label is the label for Italy’s wine, ensuring that there is no added sugar and no extra preservatives.

Managing Breakouts:

1. Ice, Ice baby. Seriously though. Don’t underestimate the value of a simple ice cube. Rubbing an ice cube over breakouts twice a day for 3-5 minutes can help with inflammation and swelling.

2. Use a sulfur spot treatment. Sulfur is anti-inflammatory and anti bacterial assisting your breakoutin disappearing quickly. One of my favorites is Face Reality Sulfur Spot Treatment. It also contains a peptide called Neutrazen which helps reduce redness.

3. Use an oxygenating mask. Oxygen stimulates the body’s natural healing function, is anti-inflammatory, and anti bacterial. One of my favorite oxygen masks is from Envision Acne Center.

4. DO NOT PICK.