The skin it is the largest organ of our body, and like any other part of the body, it can be affected by stress. By stress we mean that state of psycho-physical fatigue, induced on the organism by external stimuli (stressors) which can be of different nature, including the physical one, such as an illness or a trauma, but also psychological, such as an intense emotion or a state of anxiety or worry (for example relating to work, family, school, relationships, etc…).
A period of particularly intense stress can affect a person’s health and well-being. As for the skin, stress can aggravate or reactivate some skin diseases. What are these pathologies?
We talk about it with the doctor Paola Facherisdermatologist at Humanitas Rozzano.
How does the skin react to stress?
Several studies have shown how stress affects different dermatological pathologies contributing to inflammatory processes. Indeed, stress is able to act on the axis hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and to induce the release of pro-inflammatory mediators from the peripheral nervous system to skin cells. Lo stress it is not itself the cause of the pathologiesbut it can exacerbate symptoms or exacerbate chronic pathologies.
Any inflammatory or immune-mediated diseases they have skin manifestations can be made more severe by stress. For example, let’s talk about:
Psoriasis and stress
The psoriasis is an inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of red plates, in relief, covered by silvery-white scales. The formation of these plaques is connected to an alteration of the epidermis growth process. The stress it is one of the main environmental factors influencing the course of psoriasis. It is quite common for patients to report a particularly stressful event in their life (such as a serious mourning) following which they have noticed the appearance of the first plaques on the skin or the recurrence of the disease after a long period of quiescence.
Atopic dermatitis and stress
The Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema. Those suffering from atopic dermatitis perceive intense itching, have reddened skin and, in more severe cases, may notice the presence of vesicles e scabs. Atopic dermatitis is more common in children, but increasingly affects adult patients as well. Not only can the disease itself worsen under stress, but also the itch, one of the main symptoms of this disease, typically increases in stressful situations and can trigger a vicious cycle of inducing scratching and aggravating the disease itself. Other forms of eczema-related dermatitis (such as nummular eczema or nodular prurigo) can also worsen or be “rekindled” by stressful events.
Seborrheic dermatitis and stress
The seborrheic dermatitis it is characterized by red and scaly skin in areas of the body where there is a greater presence of sebaceous glands, such as the face, scalp and chest. Seborrheic dermatitis, on the face, appears on the sides of the nose, eyebrows, and around the ears, while on the scalp produces a more or less intense desquamation, commonly called “dandruff”. Seborrheic dermatitis is very sensitive to stressful states and can worsen in moments of greater malaise.
Alopecia e stress
L’alopecia areata is characterized by hair loss in more or less large patches on the scalp. Sometimes it can also affect the beard and other hairy areas of the body. In the most serious forms it can lead to complete hair loss (total alopecia) or all body hair (alopecia universalis). Sufferers of alopecia areata may notice the appearance of new patches of hair loss in conjunction with particularly stressful periods of life.
Rosacea e stress
The rosacea it is a benign skin disease which consists of skin redness, first temporary, then permanent, of the face, especially the cheeks and the bridge of the nose. It is caused by an altered regulation of the skin vasodilatationwhich can be exacerbated by several factors, such as moving between two environments at different temperatures, exposure to the sun and stress.
Acne e stress
Although induced by cause multifattoriali (hormonal, inflammatory and local microbial), acne can be affected by stressful events. Under stress, the body tends to produce certain hormones that stimulate the sebaceous glands eh hair follicles and induce an increase in the inflammatory state of the skin. Also, stress-induced scratching contributes to worsening acne.
Herpes virus e stress
Who suffers from herpes simplex (cold sores) knows very well that the disease “reignites” with the appearance of painful blisters on the lips in conjunction with periods of stress. A similar mechanism occurs for theherpes zostercause of shingles, which can appear or recur during periods of strong psychological and physical stress.
Specialist in Dermatology and Venereology
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