Stress-related acne problem

October 21, 2008 10:47 PM

Dermatology question. Whenever I get stressed, I get zits breaking out on my face and on my head. Is this normal? I'm a 33 year old male, so it's not teenager acne.

I have noticed that whenever I'm having a stressful time at work, or if I've not got enough sleep, I get zits popping up on my face and a fair bit on the back of my head. Since I'm clean-shaven, the back side of my head looks messy. (Somewhat icky picture here if you're so inclined.)

Once in a while, when the stress is getting really bad (behind on schedules, employee problems, etc.), the zits pop up even in places like my butt crack, inside thigh, etc. (Those sometimes get large and painful, but go away in a week or two.)

Does anyone have experience with this kind of condition? I think it's been happening to me for about 4-5 years. I've read online that stress can trigger acne, but what can I do about it?

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (15 comments total)

Drink lots of water. Eat healthy. Exercise. Being stressed usually goes hand in hand with neglecting yourself. No sense in making things worse...being stressed is enough. Try looking at being stressed as a time when you need to take extra care...you'll feel better about yourself and look better too. And it might just relieve some of it.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:00 PM on October 21, 2008

Ew, a white head! :P

I think you need to condition and exfoliate your head. There's a lot of waste skin cells and oil on a head. Those things clog pores. Head pores are also follicles, but yours don't have a nice, long hairslide outward for the oil to ride on.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:01 AM on October 22, 2008

Or, yeah, more places? Exfoliate everywhere. I know I do. "Ban the boob zit!"
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:03 AM on October 22, 2008

There is a very large range of 'normal' when applied to human physiology. For my part, at 43, I still have pretty oily and acne-prone skin, but I've had that all my life, post-pubescence anyway. Stress does tend to make it worse. Since an ill-advised course of Accutane in my early 20's, my face tends to be fine, but the rest of my body less so, still.

As suggested, exercise, less meat and less oily food in general and more veggies and lots of water and rest help.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:24 AM on October 22, 2008

Stress can do funny things. It can not only make me break out, it can give me insomnia and canker sores.

The usual -- rest and good diet -- should help, and I've also had luck with plain ol' Clearasil again. I've also found plain white toothpaste, of all things, can take care of pimples pretty quickly.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:57 AM on October 22, 2008

Same here--big, hard zits on the inside thigh and hairline at the back of my head, just one or two at a time, and always stress related. No idea aobut a cure, except to be less stressed, I suppose.
posted by pupsocket at 6:26 AM on October 22, 2008

Stress directly causes pimples on me. Mine isn't as extreme, but yes, it's normal.

I agree that taking really good care of myself, even in times of stress, helps immensely. (Actually though, it's usually when I don't take care of myself that I *get* stressed ... I think I'd eliminate stress from my life if I just stuck to my take-care-of-myself principles every day.)
posted by iguanapolitico at 7:12 AM on October 22, 2008

Ahh adult acne, I feel your pain. You may want to try this. Or any other lotion with glycolic acid, however I've never been able to really find any other lotions with glycolic acid. It was recommended on acne.org which has been brought up on this site before and has a lot of good suggestions. The glycolic acid is a little harsh on your skin, but if your head skin can take it, it really clears up your skin fast. Be careful though because it can make your skin burn more easily.
posted by whoaali at 7:20 AM on October 22, 2008

Try some over-the-counter acne medicine to treat the actual pimples that are currently present. You may have to experiment with a couple, but the idea is to use a little everyday to prevent future breakouts. As for your thighs and butt, try to keep those areas dry and sweat-free if possible, but acne creams help me when I have a sweaty butt that gets vengeance by breaking out.

Taking general care of yourself and your stress levels is always a good idea, and so is drinking water, but it's a complete myth that such things will totally solve your acne problem. It's not polite or accurate to assume that acne is a a big scarlet letter "F", that lets you know that someone is a Failure in some aspect of their health care, hygiene, or stress management. Some people just have acne. Although, stress does seem to contribute.

A lot of people have had acne (including me), and no matter how wonderful their diet or plentiful their water intake, it persisted until they found medical solutions that worked for them, and/or until they learned to not pick their skin.
posted by Coatlicue at 7:29 AM on October 22, 2008

Heartily seconding Ambrosia Voyeur with exfoliation.
I've been in a play for the past month and thought for sure that the extra makeup would make me break out terribly. Instead, the opposite happened - my skin is clearer than it has been in months. All because I've been using make-up removing wipes to clean my face after shows, and that's more exfoliation than I've gotten in a while but it was enough to clear things up.

Since that realization, I wash my face with a cellulose sponge and got an exfoliating liquid as well. It really is magic.
posted by odi.et.amo at 7:44 AM on October 22, 2008

Yeah, stress related outbreaks are pretty common. If you know a stressful event is coming up, you can do damage control by deliberately drinking extra water, getting extra sleep and spending more time out of doors beforehand*. When life springs stress on you unexpectedly, just use the standard OTC treatments.

Sunlight is the key. It doesn't have to be hot or anything; just being outside in regular daylight can make a big difference. Stress related outbreaks are more common in the winter and when you work nights, because you're already sun deprived.
posted by the latin mouse at 9:21 AM on October 22, 2008

I get acne still (face & back mostly). A nice, gentle benzoyl peroxide wash (lower concentrations are usually better) will work wonders. Use it twice a day.

An interesting observation: most of the locations you mention (face, back of head, back of neck) are the places I would touch when stressed. You may be spreading bacteria and dirt by touching when stressed.
posted by chairface at 10:02 AM on October 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

Nthing the more water and exfoliating thing. In case you're lost in the world of exfoliating, I would suggest this product. It's unisex, it does not smell of any kind of perfume, you can get it in any drugstore and most grocery stores, it is cheap and it really works well. There are two varieties but this one specifically helps deal with zits and contains tea tree.

You can use it in the shower and literally, you put a gob in you hand, rub your hands together a bit, scrub your head with your hands, rinse and step out. It takes sixty seconds and will make a difference.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:25 PM on October 22, 2008

My skin is more experienced than yours but these things still happen. I find a dab of Neosporin helps the suckers heal up (hey, ain't they little infections after all?) faster.

And they do tend to come in roving gangs.
posted by trinity8-director at 1:26 PM on October 22, 2008

chairface: plus one on the benzoyl peroxide (I use Neutrogena On The Spot twice a day on my nose, upper lip, forehead and chin). However, I reserve judgment on your 'these are the places you touch when you're stressed' theory. I don't often touch my butt crack or inner thighs when I'm stressed.
posted by workerant at 1:55 PM on October 22, 2008