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Acne and Its Psychological Consequences

By Emil Desnoyers

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 12Sep2008 Word count: 781 Viewed: 238 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Acne can and often has many psychological side effects. One tends to relate these effects with the intensity of acne but it is not necessarily so. Many psychologists treat patients who suffer from mild to severe cases of acne. The consequences of acne can greatly depend on how a person deals with acne. If a person even with a mild case of acne sees himself/herself as being outcast by the disease he/she will suffer great emotional and psychological effects. Although acne is prominent in the teenage years, it can affect people of all ages and as such the consequences of acne will greatly depend on where psychologically a person is in his life when he/she has to deal with acne.

A new condition or if you prefer disorder was identified: the Psychodermatologic disorder. It is a disorder that concerns itself with the mind/skin relationship. Really we are talking the mind/body rapport.

There are 3 categories to this disorder. Number 1: Psychophysiologic disorders, Number 2: Primary psychiatric disorders and Number 3: Secondary psychiatric disorders

We will be concerned with Number 1 the Psychophysiologic Disorders. This is the category where acne is identified. What we are seeing is a skin problem that is not directly link to the mind but that does react to emotional stimulus such as stress. There is some consensus in the medical field that this condition can be treated with anxiety-decreasing therapy or in the most acute cases with the use of psychotropic medications.

The teenage years are the years where individuals develop their self-image, where they learn personal skills and where they create an identification of who they are. Peer and group pressure are at its peak. The need to be accepted in the group exercises immense stress on the individual's psyche. We all know how cruel and unforgiving people can be. The least physical difference is taken to new heights. The sexual attraction is developing in these individuals and their physical appearance is of the outmost importance. From their perspective, acne is ruining their life. Social acceptance is at the heart of the teenage years.

Today there is a more open dialogue between doctors and patients. The true consequences of acne are just starting to emerge. Some of the problems being discussed relate to a low self-image and an overly distorted view of one's body. People with acne often walk staring at the floor to avoid any personal contact. They are embarrassed by their condition and try to hide it using different ways such as heavy make-up for the girls or long hair to hide the face. The need to hide what they perceive as a defect of their body leaves scars in their psyche.

Often people with acne will not want to participate in sports where they would feel vulnerable because they would expose their face or their upper body if this is where they have acne. Gym classes and swimming become a problem. The look they get from their peer group is so strongly felt that some of them fake an injury to avoid going to gym class. Some teenagers refuse to go to school and some never go back. In effect some lives are totally devastated by acne. Some feel such a enormous psychological effect that they become reclusive and unproductive members of society. Poorly prepared for a career, shy, reclusive and feeling alone, they are often in later years find themselves alone, unemployed and financially destitute.

In adult acne some people refuse to go to their job, they call in sick when they have an acne outbreak. It takes a long time to establish a social position among your peers and these people feel they could lose it all in one acne outbreak. They isolate themselves and wait it out.

Generally social interaction is very difficult for people with acne not only because of their self-image but also because of the way the rest of society deals with people with acne.

Depression is a common consequence of acne. This distress must be recognized and taken under control to avoid permanent damage to one's psyche. The way a teenager sees himself in his formative years will without a doubt be reflected in his behaviors for the rest of his life unless strong and positive re-enforcements come into play.

There is help for those who seek it but low self-image and the sense of worthlessness often does not permit an individual to get the help. For teenagers, it is up to the parents to recognize the problem and act on it in a loving and caring manner knowing ahead of time that the person will resist their help.

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