Psychology and skin: a dermatologist’s perspective

The connection between mind and skin

The mind-body connection is something that is heavily contemplated by practitioners of yoga and a form of alternative medicine known as naturopathy. But how does it apply to traditional medicine?

Did you know that there is a field of dermatology that focuses on understanding how mental and emotional factors impact the skin, and how psychological techniques can be utilized to treat various skin conditions? It’s called psychodermatology.

The link between skin and mind

Two dermatologists working is Israel recently published a review article examining possible psychological links with common facial skin conditions such as acne.¹ Emotional factors such as stress or depression are thought to impact these skin conditions. Based on research focusing on adults with acne, these patients often complain of acne flares in conjunction with anxiety, stress, or frustration. 55% reported a close chronologic association between episodes of emotional stress and exacerbation of their acne. This study and others suggest that emotional stress from external sources may have significant influence on facial dermatoses such as acne.¹

While negative psychological states can exacerbate skin issues, there is also research pointing to the impact positive emotions can have. Joanna Miniszewska, a Polish psychologist,¹ and other scientists have conducted research that identified optimism as a predictor of quality of life in psoriasis patients.² The goal of their research was to examine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in psoriatics and selected demographic, medical and psychological variables to determine the predictors of HRQoL. Their findings were that optimism explains the highest percentage of variability in patient HRQoL scores.² Basically, the more optimistic the better quality of life!

Psychodermatology in practice

In addition to looking at how psychological factors can trigger (or improve) dermatologic issues, psychodermatologists also apply treatments techniques from the field of psychology. An interesting application of psychodermatology is potential treatment of dermatological symptoms that have no clear diagnosis. Patients often report itching or a rash that seemed to come from nowhere. While practices such as hypnosis or psychotherapy can't cure the underlying cause of such symptoms, they can offer relief. And ultimately what matters most to me as a doctor is improving both physical and emotional quality of life for my patients.