Suggests that a large number of patients who visit a dermatologist
have an emotional component to their disease, according to Carolyn S.
Koblenzer, M.D. How the skin and brain are intimately connected; What
makes the skin a psychosomatic battlefield.
By
PT Staff, published on January 01, 1995
HEALTHSkin
Consider a woman who, the day after a farewell handshake with a
beloved teacher, developed an inflammatory skin disease on the palm of
her right hand. The connection between skin and emotion is not always so
symbolic: But it is extremely common.
Some 30 to 75 percent of patients who show up in dermatologists'
offices have an emotional component to their disease, contends Carolyn S.
Koblenzer, M.D. One of the country's few dermatologist psychiatrists, she
told a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association how the
skin and the brain are intimately connected.
For starters, said Koblenzer, of Philadelphia, both are derived
from the same embryonic tissue. Then, of course, skin is the visible,
physical boundary of the self.
As a result, it is a prime medium for psychosomatic expression. But
there's a difference between patients who take their condition to the
dermatologist and those who see a shrink. "Dermatologists' patients
usually have a single, circumscribed psychiatric symptom, while they
function relatively well in other aspects of their lives. By 'choosing'
skin disease, they can deny their psychopathology," Koblenzer
reports.
In addition, the skin is a full- fledged immunological organ; every
type of immune cell is represented in its precincts. The immune system,
scientists now know, is disruptable by stress and emotions.
Persons born with a genetic predisposition for skin disease are
more vulnerable to an outbreak when in emotional turmoil. Psoriasis,
eczema, warts, or even chronic acne are just a few conditions that can be
triggered or exacerbated by stress. And their unsightliness can itself
create stress, generating a vicious cycle.
What makes the skin a psychosomatic battlefield? Koblenzer contends
that touch is the first form of communication between mother and child.
The way a new moth er handles her child and the emotional vibes she gives
off while doing it influence skin sensitivity for life.
Tags:
beloved teacher,
chronic acne,
dermatology,
eczema,
embryonic tissue,
emotion,
emotional component,
emotional turmoil,
genetic predisposition,
immune cell,
immune system,
inflammatory skin disease,
moth,
mother and child,
outbreak,
physical boundary,
psoriasis,
psychosomatic,
skin,
vicious cycle,
warts
