How To Get Rid of Stress Acne: Treatment and Prevention

Stress management and acne treatments are remedies to consider if you’re wondering how to get rid of stress pimples. Stress pimples, also called stress acne, are a form of worsened breakouts resulting from an individual experiencing personal stressors.

While stress is not considered a cause of acne, the two are linked. Here’s what else you need to know, including how to treat and prevent stress acne and when to see a healthcare provider.

Research hasn’t identified stress acne as appearing any differently than regular acne. It has the potential to look like:

• Blackheads: A type of breakout with widened pores due to oil or dead skin building up, making a black spot because of oxygen reacting with the buildup
• Nodules or cysts: Breakouts with deep skin swelling as the result of oil, dead skin, and bacteria buildup
• Papules: Blemishes that appear as small, red bumps due to bacteria, dead skin cells, and oil going further into the skin
• Pimples: Breakouts that lead to swelling in the skin where bacteria has accumulated in a pore
• Pustules: A breakout similar to papules, where blemishes contain a yellow or white center and yellowish fluid
• Whiteheads: A type of breakout where raised, white or flesh-colored blemishes form due to oil and dead skin buildup

In addition, stress acne is a flare or worsening of preexisting acne in response to a psychological stressor, Allison K. Truong, MD, an American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) fellow and dermatologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told Health. For instance, if someone typically only has one or two pimples, they might suddenly have 10, 20, or 30 pimples during a stressful time.

Stress isn’t an actual cause of acne, though there’s a link between acne severity and stress. One review, which analyzed several acne studies, found that emotional stress worsens acne for 50% to 80% of people.

Angela Lamb, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told Health that people with more acne-prone skin, such as people who have larger pores or tend to have more oily skin, are a bit more sensitive to stress acne. Some researchers have proposed a few theories as to why the link between stress and acne exists.

For example, an increase in specific hormones is one of the most widely agreed-upon causes. One of those hormones is cortisol, the “fight-or-flight” hormone. Bodies also increase androgen (male sex hormone) production in response to stress. These hormones stimulate the skin oil glands and hair follicles, resulting in acne.

Other Acne Causes

The exact cause of acne remains unknown, but you may end up with acne as a result of the following things happening in your pores:

• Bacterial growth
• Dead skin buildup
• Excess or high oil production

Recognizing if and when stress is contributing to acne development is important for managing it. Of course, the first step to getting rid of acne is to try to destress. You can achieve this by trying stress-relieving activities such as:

• Doing breathing exercises
• Getting enough sleep
• Listening to music
• Meditating
• Reading
• Trying yoga or tai chi
• Walking

Other treatments vary from person to person. For instance, someone with mild acne who wants something a little stronger may try some of the following cleansers:

Another person with mild acne may use a gentle cleanser with a topical antibiotic regimen, such as topical azelaic acid, dapsone, or clindamycin. In that case, Dr. Truong recommended adding a low topical retinoid, such as an over-the-counter (OTC) adapalene gel (like Differin) or a prescription tretinoin cream.

The treatment approach could also depend on how quickly someone wants their acne to clear up. Regardless of what products you use to manage acne, Dr. Truong said that “the most important thing is you have to treat the cause. And that would be treating the stress—if there is a way that we could do that.”

Though it may not always be possible, you may be able to prevent stress pimples by avoiding or limiting your stress. Whether your breakouts are related to stress or not, you can also do the following to help prevent and manage acne in general:

• Clean your skin gently, which includes not scrubbing it and using a soap that doesn’t dry your skin out
• Keep your hair out of your face and limit how much you touch your face
• Limit any pimple-picking, rubbing, scratching, or squeezing
• Remove any dirt or makeup on your face, especially before going to sleep at night
• Stick to your acne treatment plan
• Wash your face up to twice daily and always after exercising

Stress can also trigger or worsen other skin conditions, including:

• Atopic dermatitis: A subtype of eczema, a skin disorder characterized by itchy, scaly rashes
• Psoriasis: A condition that results in irritated skin that may be red and have whitish-silver scales
• Rosacea: A skin disorder where a person’s face may turn red or have swelling and acne-like sores

You’ll want to contact a healthcare provider or dermatologist if you:

• Develop scarring when your acne is resolving
• Experience stress because of your acne
• Have acne that gets worse or is painful
• Have treated your acne with self-care or over-the-counter medications, and they are not working or no longer work

See a healthcare provider if you have sudden breakouts but are unsure of the cause. A sudden breakout could also be due to an infection or rash. For instance, your acne may be due to folliculitis or allergic contact dermatitis. Folliculitis is a bacterial or fungal infection of the hair follicles, while allergic contact dermatitis is a rash from an allergy.

It may also be helpful to see a mental health professional if you find your acne is due to stress. They can provide you with guidance regarding stress relief or stress management techniques.

Stress acne worsens due to stressors, but it’s important to know that stress doesn’t cause acne, even though they’re linked. The best way to prevent stress acne is to avoid the stress that’s causing it when possible and try different treatments to help clear it up.

Stress acne will eventually go away with time and treatment. However, see a healthcare provider like a dermatologist for acne that doesn’t go away or gets worse.