Does stress cause outbreak in pimples?!

Does stress cause outbreak in pimples?

I know it sounds kind of stupid. But I used to have very clear skin, and would rarely get pimples. I would just get 1 or 2 every few months or so. Right now, I'm under a lot of stress, and have noticed my face breaking out. Could these 2 problems be somehow related to one another?

Yes. Stress is one of the major factors behind acne. Stress affects acne in many ways.

First as a response to stress corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is released in the sebaceous gland. This hormone triggers your skin to produce more sebum.

Second stress prevents your body from working properly. Stress affects virtually all the 'systems' in the body. Here are two examples on how this may lead to acne, stress suppresses immune system (more acne causing bacteria) and digestion (more undigested food to feed the bacteria).

There have also been few studies on stress and acne. Here's an excerpt from one:

"Patients with acne may experience worsening of the disease during examinations. Furthermore, changes in acne severity correlate highly with increasing stress, suggesting that emotional stress from external sources may have a significant influence on acne."