Stress is Bad For Your Skin

This latest flare has had me freaking out and worrying about the cause. It is true that flares don't necessarily have a cause, but sometimes a stressful event or eating a particular type of food can precipitate a flare up. In my case, I believe the most recent flare was due to a rather stressful incident I had a few days ago, which I spoke about on my other blog. The incident really upset me and I was crying most of the day, which likely brought about the flare.

There have been various experiences on the Itsan forum where people have had periods of good skin, but then experienced a stressful event which brought on a very bad skin reaction. One member of Itsan had been completely healed, but when a close friend died, her rashes started up again.

I'm not a scientist, but this doesn't stop me theorising about what is going on. I read an interesting article on Wikipedia about cortisol and its role in the body. Cortisol is the body's own natural hydrocortisone and is made in the adrenal glands. Cortisol is produced when the body is stressed. The article states:

"Cortisol is released in response to stress, sparing available glucose for the brain, generating new energy from stored reserves, and diverting energy away from low-priority activities (such as the immune system) in order to survive immediate threats or prepare for the exertion of rising to a new day."

OK, so this leads me to my theory. When we are stressed, our body makes hydrocortisone. Cortisol affects the blood vessels. Now maybe this causes us to flare because the blood vessels react the same way than they would to steroid cream. Another theory is related to the fact that cortisol impacts on the immune system. This could lead to skin problems too. I myself have noticed that when I get stressed I get coldsores.

This leads me to a lot of interesting questions that I don't have the answer to. I know my body makes its own hydrocortisone, so do elevated levels of cortisol affect TSW? Seems like a good excuse to chill out and relax as much as possible. I wonder if anxious individuals are slower to heal? What about exercise? Presumably, any kind of physical activity would get the adrenaline pumping, but then again, exercise also relaxes the body. Interestingly, this is what Wikipedia says:

Factors generally reducing cortisol levels

• Magnesium supplementation decreases serum cortisol levels after aerobic exercise,^[69][70] but not after resistance training.^[71]
• Omega-3 fatty acids have a dose-dependent effect^[72] in slightly reducing cortisol release influenced by mental stress,^[73] suppressing the synthesis of interleukin-1 and -6 and enhancing the synthesis of interleukin-2; the former promotes higher CRH release. Omega-6 fatty acids, on the other hand, have an inverse effect on interleukin synthesis.^{[citation needed]}
• Music therapy can reduce cortisol levels in certain situations.^[74]
• Massage therapy can reduce cortisol.^[75]
• Laughing, and the experience of humour, can lower cortisol levels.^[76]
• Soy-derived phosphatidylserine interacts with cortisol; the correct dose, however, is unclear.^[77][78]
• Black tea may hasten recovery from a high-cortisol condition.^{[79][80][non-primary source needed]}
• Regular dancing has been shown to lead to significant decreases in salivary cortisol concentrations.^[81]

[edit] Factors generally increasing cortisol levels

• Caffeine may increase cortisol levels.^[82]
• Sleep deprivation^[83]
• Intense (high VO2 max) or prolonged physical exercise stimulates cortisol release to increase gluconeogenesis and maintain blood glucose.^[84] Proper nutrition^[85] and high-level conditioning^[86] can help stabilize cortisol release.
• The Val/Val variation of the BDNF gene in men, and the Val/Met variation in women, are associated with increased salivary cortisol in a stressful situation.^[87]
• Hypoestrogenism and melatonin supplementation increase cortisol levels in postmenopausal women.^[88]
• Burnout is associated with higher cortisol levels.^[89]
• Severe trauma or stressful events can elevate cortisol levels in the blood for prolonged periods.^[90][91]
• Subcutaneous adipose tissue regenerates cortisol from cortisone.^[92]
• Anorexia nervosa may be associated with increased cortisol levels.^[93]
• The serotonin receptor gene 5HTR2C is associated with increased cortisol production in men.^[94]
• Commuting increases cortisol levels relative to the length of the trip, its predictability and the amount of effort involved.^[95]
• Stimuli associated with sexual intercourse can increase cortisol levels in gilts (a young female pig that has not produced her first litter).^[96]
• Severe calorie restriction causes elevated baseline levels of cortisol.^[97]

So according to that list, I should listen to lots of music, dance around a lot, give up coffee (no!!!) and laugh a lot. (Not quite sure what to make of the weird one about young female pigs mating. Does that apply to humans too?)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I feel so much better now.

(BTW a massive thank you to all the Itsan forumites who gave me a virtual hug when I was feeling lousy yesterday. The forum is an absolute lifeline to those suffering.)