Got a skin problem? Psoriasis or eczema, maybe?
Ever consider you might have a mind issue rather than a dermal one?
A friend recently experienced a trauma and, a few weeks later, developed backne, which, as I’m sure you know, is acne on her back – something she’d never had before in her more than 30 years on earth.
“Like I need this on top of everything else,” she moaned.
I took an interest and soon discovered psychodermatology, which uses psychological and psychiatric treatments as well as more typical medical ones to treat acne, psoriasis, rosacea and eczema.
Can chillin’ really improve your skin?
What the experts say
“Until 10 years ago, the American Academy of Dermatology listed among the acne ‘myths’ the notion that stress was a factor. Since then, controlled studies have documented that link. We’re talking triggering as opposed to cause. Assuming you’ve got the hereditary and hormonal underpinnings, when stress gets turned up, so will the acne. The triggering comes from avoidance of the feelings stress stirs up. If you tune into whatever is going on emotionally, your skin will likely go back to just being skin. I use relaxation, imaging, focus psychotherapy, hypnosis and self-hypnosis.”
TED GROSSBART, clinical professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston
“Our study showed that if you stress animals, you disrupt the cutaneous permeability barrier, particularly the ability to repair defects in the barrier. We studied students when they came back from vacation and again right before their final exam, and found that the cutaneous permeability barrier function was altered under stress. There’s anecdotal information that when patients are stressed, it leads to exacerbations of or onset of clinical skin diseases. We know that psoriasis and atopic dermatitis [eczema] involve defects in the permeability barrier, so its possible that this is all integrated.”
KENNETH FEINGOLD, professor in residence, School of Medicine, U of California, San Francisco
“Stress compromises the digestive system and the liver. And the health of the gut is directly linked to the skin. Compromised liver health can be a contributing factor in psoriasis, for instance. Food allergies can cause eczema. One has to treat the condition as well as the precipitating cause, which is frequently stress. There are different herbs, nutritional supplements and techniques, depending on whether people have acute or chronic stress.”
ZORANA ROSE, naturopath, Toronto
“My laboratory has done work suggesting a mechanism by which stress might exacerbate inflammatory skin disease. This was done entirely in test tubes, so we don’t know for sure whether it happens in animals. I think I believe it, but I wouldn’t say the evidence is incontrovertible. There are studies suggesting that psoriasis patients improve more quickly with a combination of conventional treatment and relaxation techniques, compared to conventional alone, but the data is relatively soft.”
RICHARD GRANSTEIN, department of dermatology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York City
“There is solid data that many skin conditions can be made much worse by stress. Guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, tai chi, hypnosis, anti-anxiety medicine and antidepressants can make skin do better. There are molecules in the skin called neuropeptides that can make the skin redder and more sensitive. Stress management techniques decrease the release of neuropeptides. Neuropeptides are the first line of defence of the immune system. In life-or-death situations, the release of neuropeptides makes sense. Where it doesn’t make sense is when you’re stressed about a relationship or finances.”
RICHARD G. FRIED, dermatologist, clinical psychologist, Yardley Dermatology Associates, Yardley, Pennsylvania
