3.27.20 ENCOUNTER

I have spent an extended number of time isolated in my room. Missing out on labs before the quarantine started, followed by sickness throughout the first week or so of online classes has provided more than enough stress for a semester. Stress has been commonly associated with breaking out however no mechanism is ever explained in a typical news post. When stressed the body produces glucocorticoids in response, for example cortisol. If your mouth was swabbed during a stressful situation, the swab would indicate high concentrations of cortisol, given they are even capable of producing saliva in that moment. Cortisol receptors can be found everywhere, one of which causes the adrenal glands to produce more oil. This leads to more acne. I am experiencing this right now, as well as patches of eczema which can also be attributed to stress’ effect on the body during this pandemic.