“Does mental illness affect skin?” Turns out there’s a surprising connection between your mind and your skin. Psychosomatic skin conditions — physical skin issues caused by mental health issues — are real and require proper lifestyle and treatment; once taken care of it leads to an improved quality of life.
What Can Cause Skin Disorders?
Conditions like stress, anxiety and depression not only impact your emotional well-being but also manifest physically on your skin.
Stress
When stressed, the body releases cortisol. This hormone tells the body to increase oil production, which clogs pores and aggravates acne breakouts.
High levels of this stress hormone also promote inflammation. The immune system responds, causing flare-ups and worsening disorders like eczema and psoriasis. It also impacts the body’s capacity for regeneration. If you have scratches, cuts or acne wounds, they may take longer to heal. As a result, skin damage persists longer, leading to more pronounced conditions.
Did you know that the skin’s natural healing process slows down when stress levels are high? Breakouts become more intense and take longer to clear out.
Chronic stress causes people to engage in behaviors that negatively affect the skin, such as neglecting to bathe, picking at the skin and overeating unhealthy foods. These habits further exacerbate skin issues.
Anxiety
Anxiety causes the body to go into flight-or-fight mode. This prompts the release of chemicals that affect the skin, like adrenaline and cortisol. Constant anxiety creates a cycle where skin issues cause more anxiety, worsening the skin condition.
Another prevalent chemical during periods of anxiety is histamine. It triggers the development of anxiety rashes, manifested by itchy bumps on the skin.
Some anxiety patients also develop the habit of scratching whenever they are nervous. If the itching goes unchecked, they may form neurodermatitis — a disease where repeated scratching causes the skin to resemble thick, leathery unevenly colored patches.
Depression
A recent study proves a link between depressive disorders and skin diseases like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. This is because depression increases the release of inflammatory chemicals in the body. This chronic inflammation exacerbates these skin conditions, increasing itching.
It is often challenging for people with depression to maintain regular self-care routines. Because of decreased motivation and energy levels, they may neglect general hygiene practices like washing. Poor hygiene eventually affects the skin. They either increase the severity of existing conditions or develop a new one.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Skin-picking disorder, also known as dermatillomania, is a mental disorder that makes an afflicted individual repeatedly pick at their own skin. This compulsive behavior is more common in women than men and affects about 5% of the global population.
Over time, the picking habit results in open sores and unsightly scars. It damages the skin, making it susceptible to infections. Constant picking also prevents the skin from healing, which prevents existing wounds from healing properly.
When the skin-picking is concentrated around the lips, it damages the delicate skin around the mouth. The bacteria introduced during repeated picking can quickly spread to your teeth. And because people with poor mental health are more likely to practice poor oral hygiene, it increases risk of oral infections and gum disease.
The Two-Way to Avoid
Skin disorders and stress put you in an unending loop. Stress worsens your skin — and bad skin increases your stress. This creates a cycle where each condition negatively impacts the other.
The continuous presence of skin issues can maintain you in a chronic stress response state. This keeps cortisol levels elevated, perpetuating a cycle of skin flare-ups triggered by high inflammation.
Living with a visible skin disorder like acne and psoriasis can take a toll on your self-esteem and social life. You’re left feeling self-conscious, which makes you cover up unnecessarily or avoid social interactions altogether. This can lead to loneliness and depression instigated by a sedentary lifestyle. The social stigma associated with certain disorders may also make you develop anxiety whenever you have to go into crowds, making it even harder to manage your skin issues or live a full life.
To break this loop, you must address both aspects simultaneously. This has inspired a whole new field that combines psychology and dermatology, known as psychodermatology. Professionals in this practice aim to determine whether a patient’s skin condition is the result of a mental health issue. Psychodermatologists help the patient work through these emotional impacts to reduce the threats they pose.
Taking Charge of Your Skin and Mental Well-Being
The good news is you can take steps to improve both mental well-being and skin health. They include:
- Manage stress: Find ways to keep your stress levels low. Try activities promoting relaxation, such as yoga, meditation, and long baths.
- Prioritize sleep: When well-rested, your body produces more collagen, making your skin plump and youthful. So, aim for 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep each night.
- Regular exercise: Physical activity naturally relieves stress and boosts your mood. It also boosts blood flow, bringing essential nutrients to your skin cells.
- Eat a balanced diet: Maintain healthy eating habits and balance your choices by eating foods high in nutrients like antioxidants to promote healthy skin. Blueberries, salmon, avocado, green tea and even dark chocolate are mental health boosters that enhance mental clarity.
- Develop a skincare regimen: It’s easy to neglect self-care when in a mental fog. So, try to follow to a regular routine of cleansing and moisturizing to protect your skin. Avoid using products that contain harmful chemicals. Those made for sensitive skin are better for damaged or healing skin.
- Healthy lifestyle: Avoid habits that are detrimental to your mental and skin health, such as excessive alcohol consumption and chain smoking.
Knowing when to seek help is crucial. If you’re struggling with skin problems you suspect are related to mental health, consult a psychodermatologist. These health care practitioners provide integrated care for both mental and skin issues, giving you the tools you need to feel good in your skin. Professional guidance can help you live a higher quality of life.
Break the Cycle
There’s a close connection between mental health and the skin. Illnesses like anxiety and OCD manifest as various skin conditions. The development of these disorders then causes stress, creating a challenging cycle to break.
Understanding and addressing the loop between mental health and skin conditions is the best way to achieve overall health and improved quality of life.
Photo by Ilya Shishikhin on Unsplash
This is a collaborative post supporting our Peace In Peace Out initiative.