Spots are a fact of life. We all get them sometimes – it just seems that we get that at the worst possible times. Like on the very morning we are due at an audition.

This is partly because there is a link between acne and stress. That is, stress can definitely make acne symptoms worse.

Stress is bad for us all round. It has a purpose – it’s part of the ‘fight or flight’ response. You know, that thing that saves you when you need to run from a sabre toothed tiger intent on making you it’s dinner. In our more modern world it is still useful, but a lot less useful than it used to be. Unfortunately our bodies haven’t had time to evolve yet to cope better with it.

When we’re stressed it causes an inflammatory response, and inflammation is generally not a good thing throughout the body anyway. Certainly not for any length of time. It also leads to making blocked pores appear swollen and look worse. Continue reading →