Stress and Breakouts - what's the link and how to help yourself at home!

We are all under raised stress levels these days. The current pandemic situation isn’t exactly joy-inducing, and working from home – or just being at home isolated for this long – can be a source of new, unprecedented anxiety. It is no coincidence your skin may be flaring up with new bouts of acne and here is the correlation broken down.  It could be the regular culprits: day-to-day chores, working from home or lack of work, decreased social stimulation, cancelled plans, increased tension between people you live with – and on top of that, the great uncertainty that is COVID-19.

How does this happen?

At times of heightened stress, different hormones, including cortisol, are released as part of the skin's immune system which leads to the increase in the oily, protective substance naturally produced by sebaceous glands. Unfortunately for our visual appearance, this also triggers and inflames the glands, which in turn often causes acne flare-ups.

What to do?

Be conscious of the triggers that cause your unsettled mind and stress, and come up with preventative strategies. This varies from person to person but can be extremely effective in managing cortisol levels in our bloodstream. The best place to start is to slow right down, and learn to control your thoughts and responses to situations. A lot of people combat stress by doing yoga, meditating with an app that guides you through it or just talking to a friend.

Some simple and majorly underrated methods include stopping everything to open the window, letting some fresh air in and taking a few really deep breaths. If you are stuck at home, you can use this time to really look after yourself nutritionally and take time to prepare healthy, nutritious meals and help that gut bacteria.

Last but not least, with the extra time on our hands – skincare, skincare, skincare.

Have a bath? Create a spa oasis, with a book, body scrubs, candles and beautiful scents.

Pop your LUSTRE ClearSkin on for extra acne-banishing special forces while painting your nails, or massaging that body lotion in. Get inspired by other acne sufferers out there who share their journeys and promote skin positivity.

Managing stress, immunity and acne isn’t easy but if we take the time for selfcare, we’re halfway there. So if you see a clear link between heightened stress and your skin condition, reducing your stress may actually be all you need in to help your skin.

Want to know how acne affects men vs women? Check out: Male vs Female acne