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.