Acne and Stress - there is obviously a link

Why is it that only most teens get acne? Is it because of puberty? # no!

I'm tired of all that crap my doctor has been feeding me about how acne is caused by dead skin. It's all bull, Purposely created to hide the truth. I'm creating this thread so everyone can help compile evidence on this subject.

My Story:
EVERYTHING my doctor has prescribed me for my acne has not worked. Wonder why...
And now I finally figured out what the cause of it was:

Stress and Anxiety

After 4 years of constant depression my face is now riddled with scarring. With a couple pimples as well... But it's really not as bad as it used to be. I've noticed that I usually have a huge breakout right before the first day back to school after the Christmas holidays.

ALL Doctors can go to hell. They didn't help me one bit. All they do is prescribe useless products that only mess your face up even more. So if you are taking ANY prescriptions for your acne, STOP NOW. Sure, they may help some people, but in reality all it's doing is making you dependant on them and prevents you from actually CURING the core cause of it. Sometimes I wish I had never taken that accutane my doctor has prescribed me. There's no knowing what that drug may have done to me.

I've seen all those other acne threads too, most of them containing the most ignorant responses I've ever seen in my life. For example:

1 "yeah, get on birth control pills"
2 "Just get some kind of "abbrasive" sponge or pad or such, and just scrub and scrub your face in the shower"
3 "Its a normal part of growing up" - This one is bull, why do only some teenagers get it then?
4 "Age is the only real cure I know of." - And again...pure bull
5 "Acne is mostly a genetic thing so you can't always get rid of it" BULLS***! I don't see how your body would just deliberately try to harm itself.
6 "Someone mentioned antibiotics, and YES they do work!" - And they mess up your immune system too.
7 "You need to exfoliate your skin w/ a type of scrub" - I'm tired of people telling me to mess my face up, thanks.

To reply to number 4: That is a perfect example of how ignorant people are nowadays. I look at everyone else at school and wonder why they never had acne throughout the entire school year. And they were the same age as me as well, so no, it's not "a normal part of growing up."

And for the record, I am 16 years old and started getting acne when I was 13.
Hormones DO play a role in acne, no doubt about it, but stress causes them to overproduce and sort of "spill" through your skin.

Anyone else care to join in?

[edit on 13-1-2009 by knopper67]

I never had acne in my life until i was 26. I had an contreceptive implant put in my arm and after a month i started to develop acne. It was the most painful, irritating case of spots i had ever known. Thery weren't like your normal spots, they hurt just changing expression. I obviously put it down to the implant and after giving it 1 year to settle finally asked for it to be removed. My doctor said it was more likely i was getting acne due to my age. I said i'm 27? He called me a liar, checked his notes and apoogised when he discovered i was indeed 27. He then said it ight be my hormones and perscribed me an antibiotic lotion. The lotio worked but the acne would flare up every no and again. 6 months later i asked for it to be removed again. My Doctor tried to discourage me and told me i would have to go on a waiting list to have it removed. He still wouldn't beleive that it was down to the implant. I moved doctors and i told the new doctor my problem. She understood and told me i would have it taken out at the practice. I was so relieved. My acne cleared up and i have not needed the lotion ever since. I'm almost certain it was an imbalance in my hormones, but that i believe was caused by the implant.

Do you take any pills that contain hormones? If not then it really could just be an imbalance in your hormones naturally as you go through puberty, if your past that age then there could be something else affecting your hormones.

[edit on 13-1-2009 by MCoG1980]

The pills actually help mine, except at the end of the pack. Just my own experience. My boyfriend takes pills for his, because it is really bad.

I used to take antibiotic pills for mine and eventually it did get better, at a cost though. Because every time I forgot to take them for a day or two not only would the acne come back full force I would get sick. I eventually quit them and just decided to just wash my face more, and it's been about the same really. My parents lost it with age so I'm just hoping the same goes for me.
I think the problem with acne is so many things cause it, it's difficult to know what it is. I've actually wondered sometimes if the products you buy to clean your face actually cause some of it, so you'd buy more making them richer. I would doubt it though, they seem to work well enough for me.

Originally posted by MCoG1980

Do you take any pills that contain hormones? If not then it really could just be an imbalance in your hormones naturally as you go through puberty, if your past that age then there could be something else affecting your hormones.

[edit on 13-1-2009 by MCoG1980]

No, I don't take any more pills at all. I have been working to get rid of my Anxiety and Stress and I appear to be getting fewer and fewer breakouts. I am totally convinced stress is the reason I have acne in the first place. I have stopped using melatonin as well, that could be an extra factor.

As for hormones being the cause, this is 100% true. Let me explain:

[#####_____]

Theres the acne meter for a non-stressed teenager.

Now heres one that resembles a STRESSED teenager:

[##########]

Stress causes the "meter" to overflow, and tada!! ACNE in born!!

I know that's a little too straightforward, but It's basically the reason why only some teens get acne in the first place...

Glad to see you are wise to Big Pharma and Big Medicine at such a young age and know what liars they are.

Have you tried going to a master herbalist or a naturopath or a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine? They can often work wonders without poisoning you.

Originally posted by sylph hugger
Glad to see you are wise to Big Pharma and Big Medicine at such a young age and know what liars they are.

Have you tried going to a master herbalist or a naturopath or a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine? They can often work wonders without poisoning you.

I haven't actually, I just drink green tea everyday and snack on apples all day. So far, I haven't had acne for a while. I also try to avoid stressful situations as much as possible, but that will be a problem because I have provincial exams in two weeks at school. I usually just fill in random dots on the answer sheet and get the hell out of there before I have an anxiety attack in front of the whole school.

The reason I don't give a crap about exams anyway is because my health is a higher priority than my so-called "education".

[edit on 13-1-2009 by knopper67]

[edit on 14-1-2009 by violet]

AHH! This company called Lush makes soap and things. Their tea tree oil spritzer and they have a soap with calomine and chamomile and all sorts of delicious stuff... if I use both, my acne is GONE.

Lush also rocks, completely.

Originally posted by knopper67
5 "Acne is mostly a genetic thing so you can't always get rid of it" BULLS***! I don't see how your body would just deliberately try to harm itself.

If it's not genetic, why did my brother, my sister, and I get acne that looks somewhat the same?

I can only ask for the truth.......
Can everyone of the "ACNE" sufferers"is that a word?"
Honestly, and I mean truley honestly tell me they wash their face twice a day "with a real wash cloth"
and do not touch their greesy lil fingers that have not been washed, after "eating, reading, texting, typing, ect ect.......moving their hair?
Hince imbedding "stuff" in their face...
sorry for the referrance but its almost like a virus, if you are not clean, it spreads.......
It comes down to basic principles, hygeine, and habits
Not to mention the stuff you put into your bod, has to come out!
Soda, caffiene, sugar, etc etc....
show me a native American with Acne!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its an old disease for newly, undisiplined..

My boyfriend is a native american with acne

Um, well I do wash my face twice a day with a washcloth and all that and I eat well. Really mine isn't that bad but I DO know that *ahem* before my period, my acne gets a lot worse.

Just saying.

They can often work wonders without poisoning you.

Now this is a statement to heed. Acne is caused from TOXINS in your food and other thing that come in contact with your skin as well as what you breath. These toxins will find the path of least resistance to be eliminated from your system. Usually that is the face for most people. I am 60 years old and still get some pimples but I would not say I have acne. In my teens I had pimples on my face and chest. As I got into my late 20's the chest pimples disappeared but then showed up on my back. The face pimples became less but still had them. In my late 30's the back pimples went away but now I was getting them on my buttocks and thighs as well as on my arms. Now, at 60, I no longer get them anywhere visible. I get them only on my scalp under my hair. I have also noticed that they seem to have a cycle. About every 6 weeks I have a new outbreak lasting 7-10 days.
Pick up a book written by Dr N. W. Walker D.Sc. at any health food store. I recommend his book "Colon Health - The Key to a Vibrant Life" for starters.


Now, this is strictly my Opinion, but I think a lot of acne may be caused by toxins we get from the fillings we get at the dentist. These toxins are mercury. And we also get a lot of toxins called preservatives. The scientists and the FDA say that there is no harm ingesting small amounts of these toxins. Well, I don't buy that. SLOW POISONING is a very effective way of killing you. Before you actually die you will experience some type of symptoms that your body is trying to fight off these toxins.

TY MD I should have said IMHO
I do not want to criticise anyone!
I would like to know the intake vs acne.... as to sugar, burgers, and so on, what i really meant to say is show me an ancient American Indian with Acne not a soda/beer/ candy/ lovin modern influenced individual!

reply to post by Doc Holiday

I can honestly say that it wouldn't do much even if I did wash my face at least two times a day.

I'm currently taking BenzaClin and Tetracycline. There both doing a pretty good job (the tetracyline mostly, because the benzoyl peroxide makes my skin dryer). Either I still have moderate acne, or my skin has lots of scars left from SCRATCHING them off.

Again, I ask, if it's not genetic, why did my brother, my sister, and I get acne that looks somewhat the same?

Again I ask?
Did your parents allow soda, burgers, candy, with or without restrictions?
Did you "all" hunt for every meal? or "just" have to walk to the store?
And is your fluid "water" intake greater than the ammount of toxic intake?
If a patern arrises, look for the obvious......
Or, it will "LOOK" like genetics, from a lack of evidence.........

In my opinion, as someone who suffered as a teen and young adult as well, acne is NOT caused by stress.

I believe it is influenced by your hormones, and your hormones can also cause mood swings that might make you think it was stress causing the breakout but in fact, hormonal swings are causing both the mood changes and the acne.

Taking birth control pills, (if you are a female) can help if the hormones in the pills are of a certain balance, but can make it worse if the hormones are balanced another way. I have had both effects, one made it much better, another made it worse.

Using a Retin A type cream on my skin, (which speeds up cell sloughing) regularly, combined with benzoyl peroxide in certain more oily areas and GENTLE cleaning with very mild soaps and soft cloths helped.

It did not make it perfect. But it made it much more manageable. (Also, not leaning my face on my hands which would aggravate any blemish on my jaw or cheeks.)

Try and do as little touching and picking as you can possibly get away with, so as not to infect any small blemish into a Mt. St. Helens sized eruption.

Good luck, I totally feel for you. It sucks. However, there is an up side. All that oil that is currently making your life hell will probably mean less wrinkles when you get older. Hang in there.

I used to Have pretty bad Acne when I was younger I tried everything you could imagine but no luck then my dermatologist told me that some cases of acne could also be a type of blood infection then he recommended I try a drug called Acutane . I did not enjoy taking that shizzle it was very uncomfortable for me Acutane has so many side effects its not even funny.
Accutane is a form of vitamin A. It reduces the amount of oil released by oil glands in your skin, and helps your skin renew itself more quickly.
Accutane is used to treat severe nodular acne. It is usually given after other acne medicines or antibiotics have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.
Serious side effects
depressed mood, trouble concentrating, sleep problems, crying spells, aggression or agitation, changes in behavior, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself;
*sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
*blurred vision, sudden and severe headache or pain behind your eyes, sometimes with vomiting;
*hearing problems, hearing loss, or ringing in your ears;
*seizure (convulsions);
*severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, fast heart rate;
*loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
*severe diarrhea, rectal bleeding, black, bloody, or tarry stools;
*fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, purple spots under your skin, easy bruising or bleeding; or
*joint stiffness, bone pain or fracture.
Less serious side effects may include:
*discomfort with contact lenses;
* joint pain, back pain;
*feeling dizzy, drowsy, or nervous;
*dryness of the lips, mouth, nose, or skin; or
*cracking or peeling skin, itching, rash, changes in your fingernails or toenails. it can also cause serious birth defects.
Accutane is formed naturally in the body from the Vitamin A present in the bloodstream. This is why large amounts of Vitamin A taken during pregnancy cause the same birth defects that Accutane does. Fortunately, because it is a naturally occurring product, the body is able to quickly remove Accutane from the bloodstream. It is gone from the blood within nine days and has no lasting effect on future pregnancies.Accutane "cures" about half of those people who take it so that they never need to do anything else for acne. In the first few weeks of treatment, about one in five patients gets a little worse, and one in 500 patients gets much worse. The rest either get much better, or better for a while. There is nothing else in the world that comes close to being this effective for severe acne. this stuff did actually work for me but it kinda messed with my head a little for a while I'm good now but for a while I thought it was making me crazy but no more sever acne actually almost none at all except for a few little pimples now and again its not for everyone but it might help it doesn't effect everyone the same way either just thought i'd throw that info out there for ya. Its something to look into if anything.

Originally posted by Doc Holiday
I can only ask for the truth.......
Can everyone of the "ACNE" sufferers"is that a word?"
Honestly, and I mean truley honestly tell me they wash their face twice a day "with a real wash cloth"

I assume you dont mean to be insulting, but you are. Assuming someone is "dirty" because they get acne is just silly. Most people with acne make it worse by washing their face excessively with too strong of detergents, (which strips and aggravates the skin even more AND caused the skin to produce MORE oil to make up for the excessive dryness caused by soap and astringents.)

Originally posted by Doc Holiday
show me a native American with Acne!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its an old disease for newly, undisiplined..

You come to New Mexico and you will see plenty. Go to Hawaii and you will see plenty of Asians, Polynesians, you name it. It can happen to any ethnic group.

Yeah, there is a connection, but it also has to do with hormones and hair follicles especially in males. Just take some accutane if nothing else works, you can also go on natural diets that will help, but it won't work 100%. Cut back on cokes and drinking water will help you drastically, staying away from caffeine period is actually a good idea.

Trust me, when I was in High School I tried everything, and mine wasn't even all that bad, but I eventually went on accutane which incredibly strong, and I'd recommend it for people who can't find other solutions, and it was gone, haven't had a problem since. You just have to get your blood checked every month. I don't recommend creams really, when I was younger it made it worse, because I would get frustrated and put on too much...usually the doctors will put you on an antibiotic pill...but as I said accutane is your best bet if you can't find anything else.

[edit on 13-1-2009 by yellowcard]