Skin Disorders Linked to Stress

Dark Knight

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Scientists have long sought to learn whether and how stress can lead to skin problems. A new study in mice shows that a stress-triggered hormone could worsen or even cause skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema.


The scientists found that blocking the hormone called glucocorticoid—which increases in stressful times—resulted in better skin.


Understanding how glucocorticoids work could help scientists come up with ways to prevent human skin problems triggered by psychological stress, said lead researcher Kenneth Feingold of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco and the University of California at San Francisco.


"Here you have things going on in your mind that affect what's going on in your skin," Feingold told LiveScience.

Eczema, also called dermatitis, is an inflammation of the skin with many causes and forms. It causes swollen, reddened and itchy skin.


Previous research showed that psychological stress decreases cell growth and inhibits differentiation into skin cells.


While the researchers hope the study will lead to a way to treat people who suffer these skin conditions, there is still a long way to go. Besides needing to test the effect in people, blocking glucocorticoids could have negative side effects that are worse than exacerbations of skin disorders.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20061209/sc_livescience/skindisorderslinkedtostress&printer=1


 
Thanks for posting. This is very interesting. My doctor once told me stress is one of the worst things for your body, any part of your body. It causes stomach problems, skin problems, headaches and can make some conditions worse (like heart problems).
 
Stress kills.

If you stress and smoke, don't expect to be here too long...*advertiser censored* I'm in trouble lol

I thought it was common knowledge about stress and eczema, I know when I'm particulary stressed my eczema comes out of nowhere and starts annoying me..
 
I have first-hand experience that stress causes skin problems. I have had an irritated area on my hand for several years, and had been going to my family physician about it for some time. He has prescribed several things over the years to get the area under control - there was inflammation, itching, pain, and redness. One day I saw some pictures of someone with basal-cell carcinoma on their hand, and it looked exactly like my hand. It scared the heck out of me - I thought "oh no! That looks like my hand! I have cancer!".... At that point, I called a dermatologist immediately, fearing the worst. He agreed that basal cell carcinoma was a possibility, and felt we needed to look further, so he examined my hand, took some scrapings of the affected area, and viewed them under the microscope. Something in what he saw concerned him, and he decided a biopsy needed to be done. The results were in my favor - no cancer cells there. The final determination was some sort of skin condition that is caused by stress. (can't remember the medical terms). He injected my hand in about 12 places all around the affected area, with some sort of steroidal medicine, and sent me off to get help regarding my stress level. I didn't even know I had any stress. Not a fun experience, but an interesting one. All the years I had the problem on my hand, and it was stress. I was just "living with" the problem, thinking that it was just "one of those things"...going from one lotion to the next....trying various over the counter and prescription medicines, resigning myself to the fact that I would just have this area on my hand forever, and should just learn to live with the unsightliness, itching, and discomfort. If I hadn't seen the pictures of someone with basal cell carcinoma, I probably never would have looked for further help. Even when you don't know you have much stress, your body can be sending signals for help! :doh:
 
Don't mean to appear rude, but how could anyone not know they were stressed?

Even if you weren't aware of it Mitty, your doctor should have been, he'd have to be an idiot to not see the co-relation.
I'd be getting a new doc if I were you.
 
narlacat said:
Don't mean to appear rude, but how could anyone not know they are stressed?

Even if you weren't aware of it Mitty, your doctor should have been, he'd have to be an idiot to not see the co-relation.
I'd be getting a new doc if I were you.

Some of us bury it very very well, my fellow Taurean. ;)

At least I know I do. My friends and husband kind of marvel at me, as I work 50 hours a week, am in school full-time plus, sutdy piano very seriously... but I just refuse to give into stress! (The irony of the whole situation is that for my degree, my college requires us to take a stress management course. I just finished it, got an A... but am still probably as stressed as ever!!) I really just... kind of pretend I'm not stressed. Well, I acknowledge that I'm stressed... but I usually reason that I can't change it and just need to keep pushing on. Meantime, my acne breakouts have been getting worse and worse... and I know it's because of the stress I refuse to acknowledge. Well, that and it's probably causing me to gain weight. But then again, I am a Taurus...
 
Hi Melisinde

You were obviously in the Jury room yesterday lol
Nice to meet you :)
Maybe we have the same birthday, all the coincidences I've had on WS, it wouldn't surprise me to meet someone born on the same day!

Well, I am no good at hiding anything let alone my stress...I dont think its good idea to hide it though...
It will manifest so you can see it, like your acne and my eczema...which isnt really noticeable unless I'm really really stressed...
Thanks for your reply.
 
narlacat said:
Hi Melisinde

You were obviously in the Jury room yesterday lol
Nice to meet you :)
Maybe we have the same birthday, all the coincidences I've had on WS, it wouldn't surprise me to meet someone born on the same day!

Well, I am no good at hiding anything let alone my stress...I dont think its good idea to hide it though...
It will manifest so you can see it, like your acne and my eczema...which isnt really noticeable unless I'm really really stressed...
Thanks for your reply.

April 22nd? Maybe? :) Nice to meet you too!
 

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