THE SKIN SHRINKS ; Could a Visit to a Psychologist Be a Cure for Spots?

By CLAIRE COLEMAN

YOU’D think the first port of call for help with a skin problem would be a dermatologist, not a psychologist.

But last year an American magazine documented the story of Kristen, 26, who developed a rash on her legs that got worse and worse.

Doctors could find no medical reason for her symptoms and, eventually, she ended up in the office of Ted Grossbart, a professor of psychology and a specialist in skin psychology at Harvard University Medical School.

He began by prescribing relaxation exercises and also used talk therapy, with her. After a few sessions, he told Kristen he thought the rash was linked to a recent break-up with her boyfriend.

Prof. Grossbart believed her skin was ‘expressing’ the pain and emotion she had been unable to. Sure enough, after six months of therapy and no topical skin treatments, her rash had disappeared.

It would be all too easy to dismiss this as another touchy-feely piece of American crackpottery were it not for the fact that similar things are happening in the UK.

While dedicated skin psychologists such as Prof.

Grossbart are still thin on the ground, increasing numbers of sufferers who are reluctant to use strong topical treatments or prescription drugs are now looking for alternatives. And when it comes to your skin, more often than not, this means psychodermatology – treating the mind, rather than the body.

Beauty therapist Tatum Davis, of Ark Health Beauty in Putney, West London, says that while she is not a trained psychologist, her experience with clients points strongly to the need to address the emotional aspect of skin problems as well as the physical.

‘One 35-year-old woman first came to see me a year ago,’ Tatum says. ‘The first time I met her, I could tell she found it hard to relax.

She had irritated bumps on her face which she’d had diagnosed as adult acne. She’d been treating them using harsh products which only exacerbated the problem.

‘I guessed, given her behaviour, that it was actually a stress- related condition, something that seemed certain when it later transpired that in the past year she had been through an acrimonious split with her partner, had sold the home they owned and moved to a new job in a different area.’ Tatum’s client admitted that these changes had caused her to become withdrawn as she was reluctant to burden anyone else with her emotional stress, and it was at this time that the skin breakouts had started.

Tatum decided to treat her with a relaxing massage as well as providing an outlet to talk. A year on her client is spot-free, except when she is very stressed.

It’s no surprise that the skin and the psyche should be so closely linked.

Linda Papadopoulos is a psychologist and author of a number of books on the subject, including Psychological Approaches to Dermatology (published by BPS Blackwell). She explains: ‘Both the skin and the central nervous system develop from the same embryological material, so it’s not surprising that they maintain a connection. And a lot of our emotions show on the skin – we blush when we are anxious, we sweat when we are nervous.’ Furthermore, when we’re stressed, our body releases two hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, both of which can cause rashes if the stress is intense.

‘That there is a relationship between the mind and the skin has long been recognised,’ agrees Dr Christopher Bridgett, a consultant psychiatrist at London’s Chelsea Westminster Hospital which has one of the only clinics devoted to psychodermatology in the country.

‘When I was a medical student in the 1960s, we had psychiatrists working in the dermatology clinic.’ Interest in this field has grown in the past few years: ‘It appeals to people who have an interest in alternative therapies and, more broadly speaking, there’s a greater acknowledgement of how stress, anxiety, depression and lifestyle are reflected in the health of our organs,’ says Dr Bridgett. ‘Not only is skin the biggest organ, but it’s also the most public, so people want an effective and long-term solution to problems that appear there.’ So what are the chances of your doctor being able to refer you to see a ‘spot shrink’? Unfortunately, they’re pretty slim.

‘In the UK there are probably only half a dozen liaison clinics like ours,’ says Dr Bridgett. ‘Part of the problem is that there simply aren’t enough dermatologists and psychiatrists in the country, but it’s also a question of funding.

‘The NHS can’t decide whether psychodermatology resources should come from dermatology funds or mental health funds, and when all areas of the NHS are so financially stretched, it’s simply not prioritised.’ Of course, if you’ve got private healthcare, you could always see if that will cover you to talk away your acne. Or, more realistically, you could carry on having the regular facials you usually have, but take extra care to pick a therapist who is as good at listening as she is at massage.

(c) 2007 Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.