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<\/div>Academic anxiety can exacerbate dermatological conditions<\/p>\n
Thomas Lohnes\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
Even if you don\u2019t wear your heart on your sleeve, your skin may betray your mental state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a very strong connection between the brain and skin, and a connection between stress and skin diseases,\u201d says Gil Yosipovitch<\/a> at the University of Miami, Florida. This is evident, he says, in his encounters with patients: \u201cI always ask, for instance, does anything aggravate your itch? And many patients will tell you it\u2019s stress.\u201d This observation is also borne out in clinical studies.<\/p>\n On a physiological level, it all comes down to hormones. Psychological stress, whether it be chronic or acute, causes our bodies to produce hormones called glucocorticoids, which keep us more alert and provide energy for the fight-or-flight response in dangerous situations. But they also harm the skin in two ways.<\/p>\n First, they can diminish the functioning of the epidermis. This top layer of skin locks in moisture and serves as the first layer of defence between our bodies and the environment. Consistently high levels of some of these hormones, like cortisol, can also cause inflammation. Second, glucocorticoids decrease the production of antimicrobial proteins in the skin.<\/p>\n The combined effect is skin that is dry or inflamed, is prone to infections and heals more slowly, leading to a heightened susceptibility to clinical skin conditions. \u201cThere is a direct connection between stress and a tendency to get sick,\u201d says Peter Elias at the University of California<\/a>, San Francisco.<\/p>\n In a review of 21 studies<\/a>, Yosipovitch\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nAnxiety-induced acne and eczema<\/h2>\n