Recent Studies Suggest Popular 'Diet Pill' Reduces Acne Breakouts

Main Category: Anxiety / Stress
Also Included In: Dermatology;  Nutrition / Diet;  Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 18 Feb 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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As crazy as it sounds, recent studies conducted at Stanford and Wake Forest Schools of Medicine suggest there's a connection between stubborn stress-related belly bulge, unsightly acne flare-ups and the so-called "Belly Fat" pill, Relacore(R)... and that link is stress. By now we've all heard that stress increases cortisol (the stress hormone) and cortisol increases "belly fat." Well, now it seems that stress also increases both the frequency and the severity of acne breakouts.

While this may be terrible news for millions of us who seem to be stressed-out even on the best of days, it turns out to be great news for the Carter-Reed Company. You see, Carter-Reed makes Relacore, the anti-stress feel-good pill that has become America's #1 selling "Belly Fat" pill because of the connection between stress and abdominal fat. In fact, Carter-Reed is seeing a huge spike in sales as more people understand that controlling stress will not only help reduce "belly bulge" but can also help lessen the frequency and severity of acne breakouts.

"Relacore is what's known as an adjunct, an 'add-on' product," says Gina Daines, Carter-Reed's Director of Marketing. "One of the reasons Relacore has been so successful is because people buy it along with other diet pills or to use in conjunction with any sensible diet and exercise plan. Why? Because most people find that dieting itself is stressful; that's why even when we lose weight we seem to retain that extra roll around the middle. Now when it comes to acne, we're seeing the same phenomenon: those who buy popular anti-acne treatments, like Proactive®, are picking up a bottle of Relacore to expand and complete their anti-acne regimen, using Relacore to help prevent the stress-related increase, duration, frequency and severity of acne flare-ups."

The Science

In a recent study, the largest ever conducted on the relationship between stress and acne flare-ups ("Study of Psychological Stress, Sebum Production and Acne Vulgaris in Adolescents," Acta Dermato-Venereologica (2007), Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest School of Medicine), the acne-stress connection was unequivocally confirmed. Lead author and dermatologist Gil Yosipovitch, M.D. said in an interview published in Medical News Today, "Acne significantly affects physical and psychosocial well-being, so it is important to understand the interplay between the factors that exacerbate acne. Our study suggests a significant association between stress and severity of acne."

This research also confirmed the results of a landmark 2003 dermatological study which first revealed that stress significantly increases the severity of acne outbreaks: "Acne severity correlate(s) highly with increasing stress, suggesting that emotional stress from external sources may have a significant influence on acne." ("The Response of Skin Disease to Stress: Changes in the Severity of Acne Vulgaris as Affected by Examination Stress," Archives of Dermatology (2003) Department of Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine)

So if you're looking for America's newest and most surprising weapon in the fight against stress-related acne flare-ups, don't look in the skin care section of your local pharmacy. You'll have to go to the diet section to find Relacore… America's #1 selling "Belly Fat" pill and a "must have" addition in your quest for clear, flawless skin.

Wake Forest School of Medicine

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