Whereas some patients use alternative treatments as a substitute
for conventional medicines, other patients combine conventional
treatments with stress-relieving alternative treatments. Since controlling
stress reduces the release of the hormone cortisol, which
stimulates sebum production, controlling stress reduces the severity
of acne. The most popular stress-relieving treatments for acne
include relaxation response therapy, yoga, and aromatherapy.
Relaxation response therapy involves using the mind to help
lower stress and thus reduce acne outbreaks. There are a number
of ways acne patients do this. One way is through the use of
relaxation tapes. Just as the name implies, relaxation tapes are audiotapes
specifically designed to help listeners relax. Such tapes
help listeners to concentrate their minds on relaxation by guiding
them through a serious of exercises.
The exercises provide acne
patients instructions on ways to slow their breathing and relax
their muscles, which reduce the body’s response to stress. At the
same time, the tapes often offer soothing background sounds such
as the sound of the ocean or a gentle rain, which help listeners
clear their minds of distressful thoughts. Relaxation tapes have
proven so useful that the Acne Support Group, the largest acne
support group in Great Britain, has developed tapes specifically
for its members.
