When we think about self care, we don’t necessarily think about skin care.  We think of things like relaxing, resting, and de-stressing. However, skin care can truly become part of our self care routine if we change our perspective just a little bit!  There are a plethora of skin conditions that can be caused or worsened by stress. By taking some time for self care, we decrease our stress levels and therefore we can give some benefits to our skin!

Acne is one condition that can definitely be worsened by stress.  Both teenagers and adults experience acne, and sometimes even infants! By taking our stress level down via means of self care, we can decrease our risk of acne flaring up from our high levels of stress.

For those of us with psoriasis, stress is definitely something to avoid as well! While psoriasis has been revealed to have genetic connections, it is not at all uncommon for those with psoriasis to develop new spots in times of stress.  Psoriasis can also be limited to the scalp, and patients may find that they develop psoriasis of the scalp or see worsening of their psoriasis of the scalp as a consequence of stress.

Telogen effluvium is another condition that may be caused by stress.  Telogen effluvium refers to hair loss that follows an emotionally or medically stressful period of time in one’s life.  This can occur even months after the stressful period, it does not have to be directly during the stressful time.  So, some patients may see that, though they’ve perhaps recovered from a stressful period of time, they experience hair shedding. If they had practiced more self care, maybe just maybe the hair loss could have been prevented.

Dry skin is something that many people deal with.  Something that can help dry skin is daily moisturizing. Consider changing our mindset to accept the concept of daily moisturizing as a time of self care. You are connecting and massaging your skin, or even the skin of your child or a loved one! Instead of viewing daily moisturizing as a burden, think of it as an opportunity to care for yourself!

Athlete’s foot is also related to this topic! I know what you’re thinking, ‘Athlete’s foot? How can that be related to skin care or self care?’ Well, for athlete’s foot to occur there needs to be a moist area, typically between the toes.  So if you’re neglecting to take those few minutes of self care after your bath or shower to really dry between your toes, you are putting yourself at risk for athlete’s foot!

Diabetes is common and may be something that everyone is familiar with.  You may not know, however, that diabetes may have several skin manifestations .  Obesity is one of the main causes of diabetes, and is something that can be prevented by refusing to neglect yourself via acts of self care in the form of exercise! Those who suffer from diabetes may end up seeing a dermatologist due to dry skin, complications of skin infections and a host of other complaints. Some with high blood pressure and or problems with vascular flow in lower legs, may have issues with leg swelling, for example.  Then, a rash may develop on the lower legs.  What is the main treatment for swelling in the legs? Putting your feet up! You will literally be forced to do self care by putting your feet up and relaxing! Raising your legs helps your circulation and allows the fluid to be re-distributed which keeps it from leaking into the tissues and causing a rash.

Ultimately, in most cases, you may not even find yourself with any of these conditions if you had gone back to the beginning and focused on self care.  You cannot neglect yourself, your physical body just as you cannot neglect your mental health. Otherwise, you might find yourself in my office! 😉