The Response of Skin Disease to Stress

Abstract

ACNE VULGARIS is the most common skin disease treated by dermatologists, affecting an estimated 85% of the population at some time in their life.¹ The disease's major complications include physical scarring and psychosocial effects, which may persist long after the active lesions have disappeared.^2-4 For these reasons, much dermatological research has been focused on therapeutic interventions to reduce the incidence and severity of acne. Although it is widely believed that factors such as stress and anxiety may not only be a result of acne but can themselves exacerbate acne, little research has been undertaken to demonstrate this latter relationship.