Acne Causes - Does Stress Cause Acne?

Stress is widely perceived to be a negative thing in life and people shy away from it as if it is something to be feared, which perhaps it might be. There seems to be evidence that stress can be responsible for an array of health problems and ailments, including depression, anxiety and other associated disorders. However, there is some debate over whether stress causes acne or not.

Acne is a disease where the sufferer gets spots and rashes all over their body, although the face is one of the most common areas to be affected. It is a disease which is stereotypically associated with teenagers, particularly teenage boys.

This seems to hint that stress may actually be a cause of acne. It is well-documented that teenagers are beings who are constantly embroiled in some sort of emotional turmoil and always have conflicts and issues to deal with. Therefore stress from this is entirely plausible and could cause the acne which marks quite a few teenagers' faces. However, there may be other biological causes that contribute to acne being a problem for people. For teenagers, it could just be a sign that they are developing as it is one of the common characteristics of puberty. Acne marks a certain rite of passage, progressing from boy to man in a sense and it is almost a marker of maturity before the sufferer actually has smooth, clear skin.

On the other hand, older people suffer from acne too, as it is not just confined to young people. Although acne may be fairly common among youngsters, it is also prominent among other individuals as well. This seems to infer that stress could indeed be a cause of acne. In the modern era, people lead increasingly difficult and stressful lives. There are so many things to juggle at once these days like finance, family and other activities. This can lead a person who has a lot on their plate to become more stressed than they would normally be and possibly lead to the onset of acne. It seems quite a simple and logical conclusion to make: a person gets stressed and they develop acne.

However, this seems a little too simplistic. Science is not always as simple as this and sometimes there are other variables which need to be taken into account, which can often vary with age, gender and other conditions. Acne can be a result of a genetic condition as certain skin types are more predisposed to developing acne. Complexion is something which is passed down from parent to child so it is a viable possibility that it could be at least partially hereditary. Furthermore, if someone is obese or even slightly overweight, their skin can become irritated and blotchy and certainly more susceptible to acne than someone of a normal weight.

Essentially, there is a certain link between stress and acne. It can be quite a tenuous connection to make as there are other factors which need to be taken into account as well.