Life is stressful. Stress is basically part of being human, whether it’s school, work, relationships, or just trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. But what most people don’t realize is that your skin feels that stress too. Stress messes with your hormones and ramps up inflammation which can trigger a breakout. 

 

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes: when you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol and other hormones that tell your skin’s oil glands to go into overdrive. More oil = more clogged pores = more breakouts. Stress activates inflammatory pathways in your body, which can make existing acne angrier. To make matters worse, stress also slows down your skin’s healing process, prolonging the presence of breakouts.

Anddd remember what we learned about diet? Stress eating is a real thing. “When people are stressed, they tend to eat more processed and sugary foods, which can increase inflammation and oil production,” said Dr. Minni. So now you’ve got hormonal chaos and inflammatory snacks teaming up against your skin. Rude!

 

So what can you actually do about it? You don’t need to start meditating at sunrise, but managing stress through sleep, movement, relaxation, and setting boundaries can help calm your skin and mind. It’s important to know that stress management looks different for everyone. What matters is finding small habits that help you feel a little more grounded. 

​

If you don’t know where to start, I would suggest starting simple: get more sleep, go on a walk, write things down, and don’t underestimate the power of doing less. Sometimes breakouts are your body’s way of asking you to slow the heck down. Trying these simple tricks can lower inflammation in your body. And when inflammation goes down, your skin just might calm down too!