I agree with you about stress being an acne contributor, at least for me. Frankly, I think you can even worry/stress yourself into illness if if it gets too far out of control. It is an issue I have really been working on for about the last year. In general you need to learn how to manage your stress. This involves being able to identify things that trigger the stress, and having methods to deal with them when they occur. If you are a "people pleaser" kind of person you may have stop being that way. Don't be afraid to tell someone that they are stressing you out. Practice the serenity prayer in your lifestyle. There is a lot of stress management literature and classes available. Check into that. Don't fret, you can overcome the stress problem.

Good advice from torquemonster there. In fact, other than genetics, stress is the main reason we get acne. The way we react to stress is also influenced by our personality. Androgens, cortisol and substance are all linked to stress and therefore acne. However, I have never met a physician who agreed. If your physician says stress isn't a factor, tell him to go back to medical school or read these peer reviewed articles (among many others):

Chiu, Chon & Kimbal, 2003. The Response of Skin Disease to Stress: Changes in the Severity of Acne Vulgaris as Affected by Examination Stress, Archives of Dermatology, 139 (7), pp 897-900

Lorenz, Graham & Wolf, 1953. The Relation of Life Stress and Emotions to Human Sebum Secretion and to the Mechanism of Acne Vulgaris. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 41 (1), pp 11-28

Also, I recommend IBMT (Integrated Body Mind Training) particularly "body scan" techniques. They have greatly helped me reduce stress and resultant acne. Don't worry, acne IS of course reversible.

Hope this helps Daze123,

Andrew