Your emotions can hurt your skin

Stress, anxiety and other emotions can show up in the skin too, but it's not too difficult to maintain that healthy glow

- Dhara Vora Sabhnani

Mumbai-based businessman Nilay Kadam, 35, has been under a lot of stress since 2021. He had been treated for psoriasis for two years by a dermatologist, but the condition was aggravated suddenly when he experienced troubles in both his personal and professional life a few months ago. Medication and phototherapy have brought the red patches under control, but his skin doctor has advised him to take up a hobby and de-stress with yoga to help his skin.

Constant emotional turmoil, stress, anxiety, irritation and depression can cause skin problems to flare up, explains Shareefa Chause, dermatologist and cosmetologist at Shareefa's Skin Care Clinic in Mumbai.

"I get quite a few patients with conditions like melasma (dark patches or freckle-like spots on the skin), psoriasis, acne and seborrhoeic dermatitis (oily, scaly skin patches), where stress plays an important role," says Chause. "You don't just need medicines for such stress-induced conditions, but also need to follow mindfulness practices which can help prevent relapses."