Dr. Vegas’ Monthly Blog:
Dermatology Notes from Dr. H.L. Greenberg
“Doctor Greenberg, did my stress cause my psoriasis to get worse? Does eczema worsen with stress?” “Yes it does.” I am frequently all too eager to point out the mind body connection whenever appropriate regarding skin eruptions and stress, I’ve seen it so many times- whether it’s a prurigo nodule (a picked over sore that has thickened in response to continued rubbing), acne excoriate (picked over acne sores worsened with nervous behavior or stress) or a psoriasis or eczema flare; there is a mind body connection that cannot be denied. Your stress can manifest itself on your skin!
This past month during a regular office visit, I went to show a patient a video of our new dermapen procedure that I had performed on me for wrinkles and skin tightening. When I clicked on the link to the video, Google informed me that our YouTube channel had been deleted for misuse and that I could get in touch with YouTube if I felt this message to be an error. This incident increased my stress and I was upset; I found myself being short with my staff and my mood was less than pleasant- my day had been ruined by the negative way in which I had responded to this unforeseen stressor. My stress was manifested not in a skin eruption or worsening of another skin condition, but by me being a jerk to my team. In the end, once I verified my Google Plus location, the Las Vegas Dermatology® YouTube channel miraculously reappeared and I felt a little foolish for all the stress I had felt and the poor way in which I had treated my office team.
Besides being able to do something for others that they cannot do for themselves, one of my favorite aspects about being a physician is listening to the stories of my patients. I love hearing about your trips, jobs, families and interests. Recently there seems to have been a number of you with family tragedies, debilitating diseases and other stressors. Having seen many of my patients break down and cry in response to their stress and others pick at their skin to the point of scarring or infection and still others with horrible outbreaks of eczema or psoriasis in response to stress; I am attuned to how others deal negatively with their stressors. For particularly stressed patients, I will recommend counseling or psychiatry to assist. There are a number of books on stress and one of my favorites is, “Who Moved my Cheese” by Spencer Johnson, M.D.. Dealing with change and stress is the main theme of Dr. Johnson’s classic text, and his suggestions are simple and intuitive. It is important for each of us to separate out the things that are causing us stress from what it is that could make us happy and treat others better. At the end of the day; relaxing and dealing with your stress in a positive way may both elevate your mood and improve your disease.
