Do you know your skincare routine can improve your mental health?

19 August 2024   |   11:45 am

As a teenager, Favour Edwin battled acne for years. Small mounds of acne frequently appeared on her face, leaving behind little dark spots that never seemed to fade away. The damage to her face affected her self-confidence.  “I tried anything and everything I could get my hands on, even my mom’s skincare products,” Edwin, who…

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As a teenager, Favour Edwin battled acne for years. Small mounds of acne frequently appeared on her face, leaving behind little dark spots that never seemed to fade away. The damage to her face affected her self-confidence. 

“I tried anything and everything I could get my hands on, even my mom’s skincare products,” Edwin, who is now a skincare consultant, told Guardian Life. “My confidence reduced until there was nothing left of it.”

Things changed in her early twenties, and after consistently following a regimented skincare routine and using products that not only made her skin look good but also made her feel good. The change built the confidence she lacked as a teenager. 

The mind-skin connection

Edwin’s struggle is not an isolated experience. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having anxiety about your skin. Anyone who’s ever woken with a giant zit knows that the state of your skin can affect your mood. 

With the pressures of life, we often overlook the connection between our external appearance and our internal state of mind. However, experts in the field of psychodermatology said the state of our skin can have a direct impact on mental health. 

Psychodermatology is an emerging field that blends the practices of dermatology and psychiatry. In simpler terms, it explores the connection between the mind and the skin. 

“It’s tough because most people just accept stress to be part of their everyday life and don’t look at it as something that should be addressed to help their skin”, Dr Turegano says. “But when people’s skin gets better, you can definitely see a shift in their mood”.

Photo by Freepik

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A survey by Clinique highlighted the relationship between skin and emotional well-being is much more symbiotic than we realise. The survey was conducted in the US, UK, Mexico, Japan and Spain, with over 5,000 participants between ages 16 and 70. People surveyed felt there was a direct correlation between the condition of their skin and their mood and vice versa. 

“The mind can have a really big impact on skin and skin issues, namely with stress,” said Dr Mamina Turegano, a certified dermatologist and Clinique academic partner. “That stress can increase inflammation. There’s a whole host of different inflammatory skin diseases that can be more pronounced or exacerbated by stress.”

Dr Sue Peacock, an England-based consultant health psychologist said the relationship between skin conditions and mental health is “complex, and that the psychological impact can vary from person to person.”  On the one hand, Dr Peacock said, acne, like the type Edwin suffered from, is often linked to “psychological distress” such as low self-esteem, depression and anxiety.  On the other hand, Eczema, another common skin condition, can compound stress and psychological distress. 

That said, a 2019 study emphasised that caring for your skin can provide an opportunity for mindfulness, improve mood, and cut down anxiety and depression. “In my view, routine and appearance isn’t about vanity or a hot trend in beauty standards—skincare is a representation of self-love and even escape from daily stress,” said Dr Galyna Selezneva, psychiatrist and a member at The Royal College of Psychiatry. “You are bringing the focus back onto yourself.”

The takeaway

Your skin is truly the window to your mind and it must be treated as such. The key is to be mindful and present, and to also ensure you’re using products that you enjoy—this is very important. Even the simplest skincare routine can become a moment of meditation. 

Committing and maintaining such a regimen can benefit the health of your body’s largest organ—your skin—while providing the added bonus of structure and pampering that enhances your psychological well-being. 

“The reality is that our skin, in so many ways, is a ‘check engine light’ for our internal health. When our skin looks and feels good, we tend to feel better about ourselves,” says Erum Ilyas, a board-certified dermatologist. 

By taking an extra five minutes to treat your skin, you’re sending yourself a message that says “I’m worth it.”