Says Stress Causes, Exacerbates -- Many Ailments BOCA RATON, FL - Imagine that you had been let go from your job. A few months later, when getting ready for your first interview, all of a sudden, you break out into hives, pimples spring up all over your face, dandruff begins flaking onto your pinstripe suit, you feel a tingle of a cold sore on your lip, sweat forms on your brow and, no matter how many times you wipe them, you can't keep your hands dry.
Emotions cause problems, problems cause stress, and stress causes skin disease, says south Florida dermatologist Dr. Marta I. Rendon, of the Dermatology and Aesthetic Center. Today she outlined the top 10 stress-related skin diseases. According to Dr. Rendon, research shows that common skin problems are sometimes worsened and even triggered by the physical and emotional stresses of every day life.
"Patients come to me wondering why their conditions keep getting worse," says Dr. Rendon, an internationally renowned dermatological surgeon and a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "We find the stress in peoples' lives definitely exacerbates their skin conditions, and sometimes even brings them on." Listed below, beginning with the most common skin problem, is her top 10 list of stress related skin diseases:
1. Cold sores - Painful blisters on the lips or in the mouth
2. Dandruff - a common condition in which the scalp is dry and scaling
3. Hyperhydrosis -- excessive sweating
4. Pruritus - chronic itching that may be mild to intense, and the scratch marks occasionally become infected.
5. Hair loss & Alopecia Areata (round areas of hair loss)
6. Acne - the general term for plugged pores, pimples, and deeper lumps that may cause inflammation which, if severe enough, can result in scars.
7. Eczema - a red, itchy inflammation of the skin characterized by red skin patches, pimples, crusts, or scabs occurring alone or in combination.
8. Psoriasis - an inflammatory skin condition characterized by frequent episodes of redness, itching, and thick, dry, silvery scales on the skin. It is estimated that up to 72% of patients with psoriasis experienced a significant stressful event about one month before their symptoms first appear. This may include a divorce, financial problem or death of a loved one, and their stories are usually similar.
9. Hives (Urticaria) - raised welts of various sizes on the surface of the skin that are often itchy.
10. Rosacea - a skin inflammation characterized by a redness that looks like a blush, pimples, knobby lumps on the nose, and thin red lines due to enlarged blood vessels.
"We don't know exactly how or why stress triggers these diseases, but different mechanisms either affect the immune system or stimulate the process by which skin cells reproduce," says Dr. Rendon. "What we do know is that stress management can help sufferers control their diseases." Dr. Rendon's success in treating these difficult skin conditions is due to skill and a tremendous compassion for patients suffering from skin diseases. She thinks that changing one's point of view about the disease can produce remarkable results and make a meaningful difference in a person's life. So, if people who suffer from these skin diseases notice that during times of high stress their condition seems worse, according to Dr. Rendon, they could be right!