Acne is known to cause stress, anxiety and depression. The effects of stress in causing or worsening acne have not been studied as widely. Together, stress and acne comprise a vicious cycle.
A study of 1400 Japanese teenagers, found that about half of these were experiencing acne. Those who did had poorer mental health, and they were asked what they thought triggered exacerbations of their acne. Stress, lack of sleep and sweating were the top three factors they mentioned.