As anyone who has ever dealt with it can attest, acne is a problem that's both physical and emotional. While there are creams or medications to treat acne, a recent study in the UK found that those who had acne were at an increased risk of developing depression. The study, which used data from public health records, followed more than 2 million men and women for 15 years. The odds of developing major depression were about 12% for those who'd never had acne but rose to 18.5% in those patients who had suffered from spots.
The study could not say why the two conditions were linked, but the authors believed it was related to social stress over appearance, which then would lead to depression and anxiety. There was some indication that inflammation could be a factor as well. It's not known if problems with skin blemishes trigger depression, or if it's the other way around and the stress of depression shows up in skin problems.
