Do you know someone like “Allison” ? I’ll never forget the first time “Allison” made eye contact with me. She didn’t turn her head down in an attempt to hide her acne.
“I think it’s working!,” she said. “There are less breakouts and redness!”. She radiated. Her self-esteem was growing as her acne dissipated.
Or maybe you know someone like “Jessica” who’s Melasma left “a map of the United States on my face”. Melasma, also called the “pregnancy mask” is a condition of dark parks and/or patches on the skin, usually the face. It can come through pregnancy or even some birth control. “Jessica” had for years tried hiding hers under pounds of foundation. She wouldn’t let her photography husband take family photos unless he promised to photoshop her skin, evening out the complexion. Then she found something that worked and her life changed 180 degrees and upward. She finally felt like she had her body back. Her self back.
Or maybe “Paige” sounds familiar. Her psoriasis left her ostracized by kids at school. The kids, not knowing what “that thing is” that covered her body, were afraid to be near her, lest they catch it.
Skin and Mental Well-Being
Skin affects our mental well-being, and our mental well-being affects our skin. The mind/body connection is so strong and increasingly recognize that there is a subfield of psychology called pyschodermatology.
Skin problems can greatly affect one’s body image and self-esteem, positively and negatively. For example:
More than 50% of the 1,675 patients with rosacea surveyed by the National Rosacea Society in 2014 reported they avoided face-to-face contact. Further:
In a May 2021 survey by Mederma (known for their scar treatment products):
3 in 5 agreed that skin had a big impact on their self-confidence and mental health.
58% said they've had social anxiety due to bad skin in the past.
61% said they would skip events instead of dealing with skin issues and insecurities.
1/3 of Americans said they would give up their smart phone for a year if it meant they could have picture-perfect skin.
The Downward Spiral
Perhaps the worst part is the negative cycle that the mind/body connection can trap someone in. Skin health and appearance affects our emotional health, which affects our mental health, which affects our skin’s health and appearance, which…You get the idea.
Stress can make a number of skin conditions worse, including acne, rosacea, psoriasis, itching, eczema, hives, and even some signs of aging. So you get stressed about the flare-up, which makes the flare-up worse, which further stresses you out.
Add insult to injury, some conditions are unpredictable, like psoriasis, eczema, and acne. And because of the role stress plays, this might be why you tend to get the pimple on prom night or the morning of that big presentation. Further insult…when you are chronically stressed you recover more slowly from infections and other inflammations…including those affecting your skin.
These experiences can decrease your self-esteem. You hide away like “Allison” or “Jessica” or “Paige”, or older women who only wear turtle necks because they feel insecure about their neck sagging. These experiences can also lead to depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and other psychological issues. Research shows that at least 13% of dermatology patients have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety weakens the skin barrier making it more sensitive and penetrable.
Mental Interventions
Alongside topicals, pyschodermatologists might use
hypnosis,
support groups,
biofeedback,
meditation,
guided imagery,
progressive muscle relaxation,
cognitive-behavioral therapy, and
other forms of psychotherapy
One pyschodermatologist told the American Psychology Association (APA) that he has his patients focus on an image that represents the environment that would cause the change they want to see in their skin. The example he gave is a patient with eczema might visualize a tropical rainforest because that environment would be more humid and less drying. Since eczema causes dryness, this would trigger a mind/body moistening response.
Topical Interventions
Alongside mental interventions, which are without question needed when the mental health concerns reach a near or clear clinical level, topical interventions are needed to address these common concerns.
Some of these concerns might be to the level of needing clinical topical care from a dermatologist. Some might be manageable through Derm-based skincare available without a prescription.
Topical routines do more than manage what’s visible, though. A Cosmetics Europe survey, found that 72% of European consumers believed cosmetics and personal care products improved their quality of life, and 80% said they were important in supporting their self-esteem.
Additional research supports the role that a quality skincare routine plays in one’s overall well-being.
1. The act of a routine provides stability. Routines are important for mental well-being
2. Doing something kind for yourself, such as taking time for the self-care of a routine, disrupts the stress spiral of the daily grind
3. Skin-care routines trigger a positive hormone response that boosts your mood and energy
And of course, when it’s a routine that not only feels good but delivers demonstrable results, it boosts your self-esteem and body image.
“Skin-esteem” is a thing. It’s a vibe. As someone who knows what it’s like to not feel confident in their skin, I’m proud to help people build their skin-esteem targeting many of the conditions listed throughout this article and more. What can I support you with?
References
https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-beauty/5-reasons-maintaining-a-skin-care-routine-is-good-for-your-mental-health/
https://www.psychreg.org/skincare-mental-health/
https://www.scivisionpub.com/pdfs/dermatology-and-mental-wellbeing-in-the-era-of-covid19-pandemic-1299.pdf
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pde.12802?casa_token=haBw6nFAIqUAAAAA:zHaNjrSabHJ2vYtn-DAkKWdjsM-xSrsFSPl_NpQW1dAqO40mQDwbG2fnoiD0OPhR_4K8h40giVp5lzNT
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/1201/p1873.html
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/cover-skin
https://practicaldermatology.com/articles/2019-feb/perspective-mental-health-is-skin-health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6994570/#:~:text=Introduction,outcomes%20and%20body%20image%20concerns.
https://practicaldermatology.com/news/mederma-survey-skin-insecurities-have-major-impact-on-mental-health
