What do you do when you have a bout of acne? Do you panic, throw up your hands in despair, become hysterical, anguish about it every moment, and get depressed?
I foolishly acted exactly like that whenever I woke up and saw a new set of pimples, some of which were painful cysts mainly on my cheeks and on my forhead.
You will be surprised to know that not only acne can cause depression, but in turn, it can cause more acne! It forms a vicious cycle, leading to continuous infliction of acne that simply refuses to relent.
Substance-P (SP), a neuropeptide, binds itself to receptors in the skin when a person undergoes stress.
This process is essentially a part of the stress response mechanism that is designed to protect the body from external harm but can harm the skin if it happens too often and for prolonged periods.
The research suggests that this binding of SP to receptors leads to:
- Hyper sebum production
- Heightened propensity of skin inflammation
- Increased turnover of epithelia
This essentially means that once acne sets in, if you do not tackle your psychological response, it can lead to chronic depression and more acne, in a closed chain mechanism that keeps on intensifying.
Have you noticed that certain people, who simply don’t care much about a little pimple here and there and just go about their daily routine in a carefree way, don’t seem to suffer from acne that much compared to you, the stressful type?
But how can you teach yourself to be more stable when that dreaded acne occurs?
The first step is to accept it. Accept the fact that it has already happened, and now the best option before you is to accept it, and not panic about it.
Acceptance does not mean that you do nothing. Rather, it implies that you understand that there is a deeper imbalance in your system which has manifested as acne.
Ask yourself whether you know the exact reasons of acne in your skin, and then deal with it accordingly. Choose a treatment that suits your needs instead of a generic drug-based approach.
By giving your 100 percent towards treating your acne, you automatically negate stress and guilt.
Do Style up. Add Zing to your look. If you dress smartly, have a great hair-do done, and put on accessories that complement your body and clothes – you will automatically divert people’s attention away from your acne-ridden face.
It is a method of creating psychological barrier, to stop yourself from collapsing into an acne-induced hysteria!
Have a friend or colleague who never fails to point out those ugly pimples?
Make sure that you consciously de-stress these stressors! Ignore their comments, or smile in a detached way.
Remember, no matter what, you don’t want to set a cyclical depression-acne chain into motion!
Need guidance on how to get rid of your acne? Check out my Acne No More program
No Comments