The Face is represented as the mirror of the mind as it reflects the emotional condition of an individual. The process can be seen by some common phenomena such as blushing with embarrassment skin fading with fear, and sweating with anxiety. A healthy skin is crucial for any person. It is an important characteristic of their sexual attractiveness, a sense of well-being in turn builds self-confidence. The skin is the largest and generally noticeable organ of the human body.
Hence any discolouration or imperfection on the skin affects the person psychologically. Specifically, scars on the face or on the arms, the most visible parts on the body is an aspect of immense stress. These scars can influence the patient, his or her family and social relations. Skin conditions like psoriasis, vitiligo, excessive facial hair, acid attack scars and accident scars can worsen the life of the person.
The skin disorders may not be caused by stress but may get affected due to stress. Along with skin scars, hair loss (Bald head) or white hair at a young age is equally responsible for the stress. This disturbing trouble with the skin problems includes disgrace, and low self-esteem. There is a need to understand the adverse effects these external skin scars have on the personality of a person.
For many people most common symptoms attributed to these scars include instability in body image and are mostly unhappy in social and occupational settings. The quality of their life may be adversely affected by the visibility of these skin scars, especially psoriasis and vitiligo. These two skin diseases need long treatment, which further makes the person weak.
lower their confidence, and feel tired and sick because of the treatment. Many of the patients discontinue the treatment. The occurrence of skin scars is linked to ego deficits and may be an index of severe disturbance on the whole body image. The disgrace connected with these scars can be recognized as anticipation of rejection, feelings of imperfection, facing the attitude of the society, guilt and shame, and secretiveness. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideas occur more frequently in severe conditions.
Read More: The Hidden Scars of Witnessing Domestic Violence in Childhood
Skin Related Problems
Some of the skin-related problems that affect the mental health of the person include:
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease with red, scaly plaques: they can be minimal or very extensive on the scalp, face, and other body parts. Unlike other health problems like diabetes, psoriasis is often visible to other people.” says Edidiong Kaminska, MD, a dermatologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Psoriasis is chronic and can be difficult to deal with at times. Knowing that this disease is an everyday part of people’s life may take a toll on their mood, self-confidence, and even relationships.” The disfigured scaling and redness on the body especially on visible portions of the body can cause severe psychological effects.
Thus, Psoriasis is related with a range of psychosocial symptoms. The cause of stress in psoriasis symptoms is complicated, psoriasis itself causes stress. People who believe that their psoriasis is triggered by stress tend to rate their disease as more severe than those who don’t, Despite the fact that the body area is covered by psoriasis is the same. Stress responders also tend to have more psoriasis on highly visible areas of the body, such as the face and hands.
There is no confirmation that stress causes psoriasis to appear especially in visible areas, but the more visible the scars are, the more upset people get. The more upset they get, the more provocative skin disease gets. Psoriasis makes a person irritable, angry, frustrated and stressed. It leads to feeling of shame, embarrassment, and helplessness. embarrassed to shake hands with others and low self-esteem leading to social isolation, Decreased career due to discrimination which further leads to financial difficulties, and have an impact on the relationships. The stress further leads to depression, and suicidal ideation.
Leukoderma and Vitiligo
Vitiligo and Leukoderma are skin coloration disorders, characterized by a loss of skin coloration. When Leukoderma’s condition gets severe, the white patches cover almost all parts of the body. Other symptoms include premature greying of hair (eyelashes, beard and eyebrow) and loss of colour in the mucous membranes (tissues that line inside the mouth). Change in retina colour among others. Pigmentation usually occurs on sun-exposed areas of the body and later spreads to the full body. Patients with vitiligo suffer from the same abuses as lepers. It is very similar to leukoderma.
Men, women and children with vitiligo face psychological and social problems. It does not damages any internal organ and is not a life-threatening disease, but is life-changing, causing stress and depression in people with vitiligo and is associated with psychosocial embarrassment. Patients with vitiligo are worried and uncomfortable about their appearance, they experience inequity. They attract unnecessary attention in public places, and face comments, bitterness and isolation further leading to depression. These people often build negative feelings.
Most patients with vitiligo report of having a negative impact on sexual relationships, in interfering with their careers, or being addicted to alcohol. Severe depression has been known to lead to suicide attempts. They often go through financial loss too because they regularly have to take off from work to attend hospital for PUVA or UVB treatment. Vitiligo lesions on the most exposed parts; such as the face, and arms may be more uncomfortable and the frustration can lead to anger and disappointment. Mostly when vitiligo attacks teenagers, they experience mental instability and depression.
Vitiligo in childhood can be associated with major psychological suffering that may have long-term effects on the self-esteem of the children. Children with vitiligo frequently avoid sports or restrict such public gatherings. This may even affect their interpersonal relations.
Acid attack
Acid attack, a dreadful form of violence, has lifelong consequences for victims. Acid attacks not only damages the victim it affects their family too, causes severe physical psychological and social scarring and victims are often left with no access to psychological assistance. These victims have to deal with the lot of stress, the pain of burning, the pain of medical procedure, financial, and legal procedures, career breaks, and loss of confidence.
Read More: Scarred by Society: Addressing the Stigma of Acid Violence
Scars
Scars on skin can cause social, emotional, and psychological effects. Scars impact people in two ways. One is by creating a physical trigger that reminds people of the action that happened during the injury and also by creating new emotional consequences to handle life with the physical scar that is important in their appearance. Some emotional effects of a scar include anxiety, fear, anger, loss of self-respect, low self-confidence. tension, guilty and stress. Children and adolescents with a scar in the middle of their developing a personal identity can alter their emotional and personal state of appearance.
Suicidal Ideation or Self-Harming Tendency in Dermatology Patients
An increase in stress level leads to depression, and depression further escalates into suicidal ideation and tendency in patients with longstanding unbearable skin problems and therefore must be carefully treated. symptoms of psoriasis or vitiligo often improves the psychological effects on the patient. The psychological problems linked with these scars or marks or patches could be treated with Counselling, involving patient support groups, relaxation or stress management therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Those people with the skin scars who get social support often feel better and are more likely to than others.
Treatment
An effective treatment of any skin problem requires both a dermatologist and a psychologist to deal with the physical and psychological effects of the disease. The successful treatment of the physical to successfully deal with depression. Self-care, deep breathing, and meditation among many others can be helpful in coping with the situations.
