Stress & Acne: Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, July 15 and September 2, 2007
Show 416

"Patients have been telling us for years and years and years, 'When I'm under stress, my acne gets worse.' We now have specific studies that prove that patients, as often is the case, are correct. Stress absolutely increases the amount of acne and the anger or severity of acne," says Dr. Richard Fried.

Now a new field of medicine called psychodermatology is addressing just that, the link between skin and emotion.

"Acne is serious business. It's serious business to everyone who has it. About 34 percent of people walking into dermatologist's office with acne are significantly clinically depressed. This is an entity that genuinely has the potential to impact the quality and quantity and functional status of people's lives" says Dr. Fried.