Sometimes it’s hard when in a relationship to see any negative issues that it may be causing.
However, one of the first signs that all may not be right in your relationship can be seen through your skin.
“Studies report that 25 % of all patients with skin diseases also show signs of depression, anxiety, or somatoform disorder (SSD) which is a mental health condition that causes an individual to experience physical bodily symptoms in response to psychological distress reactions,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Eva Melegh.
So, what could certain skin conditions say about your relationship?
Dr Eva highlights some common dermatological links between emotional stress triggers and certain skin conditions and what you can do about them.
Jawline Acne
Jawline acne can often point to a spike or raised level of testosterone in women.
A common issue of raised testosterone, which can be caused by a number of issues, is low libido and weight gain.
These two factors plus facial acne can be detrimental to intimacy due to lack of body confidence as well as triggering feelings of frustration and isolation on both sides, making the problem worse.
Causes of a testosterone spike are varied, but lack of exercise, being overweight and high blood sugar are a few common causes, along with PCOS and an underactive thyroid.
How to address the problem
Getting a diagnosis of what might be causing higher testosterone is beneficial.
Things you can try yourself such as altering your diet by eating less processed sugary foods and embarking on a regime of regular exercise will help stabilise testosterone levels along with aiding body confidence and libido.
Dr Eva’s Skin Salvation
With this kind of hormonal acne, harsh bacteria-obliterating anti-acne treatments or medications aimed at younger skin are not the ideal solution as the problem is typically not as fundamental as other types of acne. Adult acne is often a skin issue that effects middle-aged women either in or approaching perimenopause whose skin is more sensitive and not resilient enough for anti-acne treatments aimed at younger skin or more severe acne.
Acne treatments that are gentle and beneficial for the surrounding skin while guarding against the build-up of acne bacteria are less damaging for this type of adult acne and typically female hormonal acne.
Clarol Silver Serum is a ‘smart’ chemical free anti-bacterial serum containing a patented silver ingredient that boosts the production of good skin bacteria in surrounding skin while starving the production of acne bacteria is ideal for this type of predominately female hormonal adult acne.
Cracked Dry Hands
Several studies have found that people with hand eczema suffer from a higher incidence of depression and anxiety and the occurrence of hand eczema has been found to be higher in divorced or widowed people.
Therefore, re-occurring hand eczema that cannot be linked to an occupational or physical cause or if the sufferer doesn’t have eczema anywhere else on their body, might indicate a heightened anxiety about abandonment or feelings of rejection or lack of self-worth.
How to address the problem
Talk to your partner or someone in your support network about why you may be fearing abandonment or experiencing feelings rejection or isolation to see if there is anything they can do to reassure you.
Also look at things that help independently improve your self-worth such as a sport or hobby you enjoy without your partner and try to socialise with friends who are not necessarily part of your life due to your partner.
Dr Eva’s Skin Salvation
Cracked hands and fingers need two-step action to relieve the problem. First reduce inflammation and itching and then intensely hydrate preferably with a more intense salve rather than a cream which is designed for atopic skin that does not contain chemicals or perfumes.
Hydrosil Turmeric Butter & Hypoallergenic Milk Salve is an intense rescue salve that uses a specially formulated turmeric butter to reduce inflammation and itching and intensely nourish the skin along with donkey milk, which is the most hypoallergenic milk of all the milks to deeply moisturise and smooth rough, cracked and dry skin without causing any irritation or reaction.
Blistered Lips
Studies confirm that long-term underlying stress is associated with more frequent outbreaks of the herpes simplex virus which causes cold sores and which is carried by 50% of the population.
Evidence suggests that with the frequency of cold sore outbreaks, its long-term stress in particular that is linked to cold sores, rather than short-term emotional distress.
Some of the most common causes of long-term stress in a relationship is financial strain, problematic in-laws and over-controlling behaviour.
How to address the problem
Talk to your partner or someone in your support network about your money concerns, don’t try and hide them.
Find the confidence to address and defuse problematic in-laws, don’t just tolerate the situation.
If you have feelings of being trapped or controlled, seek advice from friends or a therapist about how best to gain back some control for yourself.
Dr Eva’s Skin Salvation
There is very little available for the prevention of cold sores. Most treatments are for use once the sore has appeared and focus mainly on pain relief and healing aides for broken skin rather than preventing the cold sore from surfacing.
There is no cold sore cure as such, but prevention is key to reducing the intensity and frequency of outbreaks. The problem is that once a cold sore has broken out it greatly reduces the quality of life for the sufferer during the cycle of the blister forming and healing (a cycle of approximately 8-14 days) and often dents confidence in the process.
Intimacy with a partner is discouraged while a cold sore is live, which can put a huge strain between partners.
Lip Q Liquorice Balm is a lip balm that contains a concentrated extract of glycyrrhizic acid (GA). GA specifically targets the genes that are required to maintain the herpes virus in its latent state by interfering with the production of special proteins that feed the infected cells. Research suggests that due to its anti-viral actions, GA has the ability to weaken the cold sore virus which lies dormant in the skin between outbreaks. The lip balm was tested in a consumer trial by the Herpes Virus Association on cold sore sufferers and shown to help reduce the intensity and frequency of outbreaks.
Flushed face and neck
A frequently flushed face and neck can indicate an underlying skin condition called rosacea. However, the frequency and intensity of rosacea flares can be triggered (often almost immediately) by emotional stress, namely anger and frustration as well as embarrassment.
How to address the problem
Try to note down in a diary how you felt when you get a flushed skin flare. Was it triggered by any identifiable emotions such as anger, annoyance or embarrassment and who caused it? If someone you have a close relationship with emerges as one of the main triggers for your red skin flares, you need to talk to them about why or how they are making you feel angry or annoyed or embarrassed and the effect it’s having on your skin.
Dr Eva’s Skin Salvation
Rosacea is an underlying and inherited skin condition linked to over -reactive blood vessel dilation, which can be triggered by a number of things from changes in temperature to spicy food, alcohol and, most commonly, emotional stress.
There is no rosacea cure, but the more the skin flares are controlled the less acute the problem becomes.
When it comes to rosacea skin flares triggered by emotional stress, the very visible nature of the flare and the feeling of uncomfortable hotness and tightness can add to the emotional stress and have a domino effect.
So, finding solutions to reduce the physical mechanism of flushing and dampening the skin’s sensitivity response as well as reducing the resulting dryness and tightness that follows a flare can significantly help the situation.
Kalme Skincare is a chemical-free and perfume-free range that contains a patented ingredient from capers that has been proven to reduce redness and sensitivity in rosacea-prone skin by up to 70%, as well as basket of other ingredients to address dryness, tightness and inflammation associated with rosacea flares.
Sore irritated eye lids
When we get an anxiety attack or feel overwhelmed, we produce adrenaline, which speeds up our heart rate and directs more blood to essential functions and less blood to extremities. One extremity that is often the first places to suffer from this is the thin and delicate skin around your eyes.
It’s no wonder that women entering menopause often experience eye eczema, seen through irritation and dryness on their eyes lids and around their eyes as hormonal fluctuations can cause both anxiety attacks and feelings of being overwhelmed. This can often be one of the first and most visible and distressing not to mention uncomfortable symptoms of menopause.
However, relationships can also cause anxiety attacks or a feeling of being overwhelmed, often due to feelings of being criticized or undermined or as well as a lack of empathy.
Typical reports from many women entering menopause is that their partners lack empathy or compassion for what they are going through, as well as increasing feelings of being useless or emotionally weaker than they used to be. Many women describe a feeling of ‘loss of control’ over their emotions.
How to address the problem
Recognise that the menopause can cause emotional fluctuations that you are not used to and that it’s not necessarily your partner’s fault that you are feeling these emotions.
However, its also essential that the partner of someone going through menopause understands that their partner’s emotions are not necessarily ‘them’ or that they are able to be so easily controlled in the same way as usual. Empathy, patience and kindness are essential for supporting someone dealing with menopause.
Dr Eva’s Skin Salvation
If your eyes are stinging and itchy like crazy its very hard to feel fine (and even more so if you are entering menopause), especially when the problem is so visible.
Eye eczema needs to be managed quickly to avoid it having an even more detrimental effect on feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed.
The even more frustrating aspect of this particular skin issues is the lack of available treatments for it and the common misdiagnosis of the cause of the problem. Its often mistaken by doctors, for example, as an allergic reaction or an allergy and treated with antihistamines, which of course will not be effective.
The usual treatment for atopic skin flares are topical steroids, but these are not suitable for eye eczema.
Hydrosil Dry Eye Gel contains a plant phytosterol, which is a gentler plant equivalent of chemical steroids and can be used effectively around the eye area to quickly reduce inflammation, irritation ad dryness without damaging the delicate skin around the eyes and can also be used o a longer-term management basis to keep eye eczema under control.
