You have a presentation that you ve been working on for weeks. Days before the big day, you realize you have more pimples popping up than usual. But while it might seem the universe has it out for you, there could be a simpler explanation: stress acne.
Generally, stress acne is a flare or worsening of preexisting acne in response to a psychological stressor, Allison K. Truong, MD, fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and dermatologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Group and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, tells
Health. For instance, if someone normally only has one or two pimples, they might suddenly thanks to stress have 10, 20, or 30 pimples. And all the things they used to do to keep their acne at bay are no longer helping. (So yes, even people who have been able to successfully manage their hormonal acne using hormonal birth control can experience an outbreak brought on by stress.)