If you feel like you need to talk to someone straight away about the way that you are feeling then you might like to get in contact with Mind, Samaritans or Changing Faces, who may be able to help. Image by María Prieto
Accessing psychological interventions specific to skin conditons can be challenging. People with skin conditions may benefit from referral to a psychodermatology clinic for targeted support. Local talking therapy services are usually accessible via GPs or patients can self-refer (Find…
The brain has a stress-activated pathway that causes release of various chemicals and hormones that drive inflammation both in the body and the skin. Specifically: What other ways can stress affect skin? How does stress impact the body? Image…
Psychodermatology is a broad sub-specialty that sees any dermatological condition with a psychological impact. Some of the other specialist conditions I see often include: In addition to conventional treatments for dermatological conditions, a psychodermatological treatment plan can include:
The usual NHS pathway is to see your GP, who can then refer you to a general dermatologist (who can facilitate a psychodermatology referral) or directly to a psychodermatology clinic. You should try to tell your GP how you…
A global pandemic, ongoing lockdown and introduction of a vaccination program can create feelings of stress and uncertainty. For people with skin conditions, this situation can become even more difficult when the effects are seen ON their skin as…
Listen to Dr Alia talking to U105’s Frank Mitchell about the link between mind and skin including the effect of skin conditions on mental health, the impact of the global pandemic, and treating common problems like acne and eczema.
I recently had the pleasure of attending The Vitiligo Society Virtual Summit 2020 as a speaker. Being able to continue to spread knowledge and have discussions about important topics in dermatology through virtual platforms is one of the positive…
A large proportion of the patients I see have rosacea. This is a chronic condition with a large psychological impact. The relatively less well understood subtype (‘neurogenic rosacea’) is also a focus of this post as so many people…
I want to dedicate this blog post to discussing the link between mental health and acne. Although it is becoming well-recognised that acne can affect mental health (and vice versa), there is a long way to go before we…