There is a direct link between your skin and your mental health. At Baywood Clinic we understand the emotional toll that acne can have on your mind.

Countless studies have shown that treating acne can reduce one’s risk of depression symptoms. We are an acne clinic in Toronto committed to helping you feel comfortable in your skin.

Acne tends to appear as varying combinations of whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, papules, cysts and nodules — some of these symptoms appear more severe than others and can also be fairly painful.

The appearance of acne can make one feel crippling social anxiety and create self-esteem issues. In fact, a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that the subjects suffering from acne experienced a 63% increased risk of developing depression, in comparison to those studied who didn’t have acne.

The study’s lead author Isabella Vallerand told Allure that after treating and reducing their acne symptoms the subjects’ risk for depression returned to normal levels.

Fortunately, there are tools to help reduce your acne symptoms — you can read this blog if you suffer from acne and access other resources to help you better understand your skin condition’s link to mental health.

If you are interested in our acne treatment, call us anytime to learn more about the process. Here is everything you need to know about acne and its connection to mental health:

Psychophysiological Disorders:

According to a 2007 review in The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, over one-third of dermatology patients require psychiatric consultation to manage their skin conditions.

It’s not uncommon for people to hive or get red patches on their skin as a result of heightened emotions. Psychophysiological disorders are physical disorders brought on by one’s mental state. Think about it — your skin is usually the first to show signs that you are in emotional distress.

Psychophysiological disorders usually fall into three different categories:

Primary Psychiatric: Any medical condition that is brought upon by self-inflicted actions when in distress. This includes obsessive picking of the skin, pulling out hairs etc.

Secondary Psychiatric: These are skin conditions that trigger feelings of depression or stress. For example, cystic acne can bring upon feelings of embarrassment and depression.

Psychophysiological: These types of disorders are either brought on or heightened by stress. This occurs because emotional stress or heightened emotions can increase your body’s inflammation.

Stress-Induced Breakouts:

Anxiety and depression both have a significant impact on one’s skin. Josie Howard, MD — a psychiatrist who works specifically in psychodermatology — shared with Healthline that “Anxiety and depression can cause an inflammatory response, which weakens the skin’s barrier function and more easily allows in irritants. Skin can also lose moisture and heal more slowly.”

In fact, a study showed that emotional stress is the most common trigger for breakouts of psoriasis. Believe it or not, a person’s mental state has been cited as more of a trigger for skin conditions than diet, medication, weather and infections.

It has been suggested that maybe treating these feelings of depression may reduce one’s chances of acne breakouts, but unfortunately many have claimed that their medication to alleviate such symptoms have actually worsened their skin condition.

Mental Impacts of Acne:

Research has shown that those with acne are prone to heightened anxiety, feelings of depression, fear of being alone, poor self-perception and decreased confidence.

Despite common belief, this isn’t only because of feelings of embarrassment over one’s appearance — although, that is a major factor when it comes to the correlation between acne and mental health. There is, in fact, some science behind the connection.

According to Psychology Today, when you experience acne, your body tends to overproduce sebum (an oil), and experience hormonal shifts, infection and inflammation.

Inflammation, in addition to triggering acne, also results in a person having a decreased number of vitamins and minerals in their system.

Treatment

There are various ways to treat acne ranging from medication to physical procedures like laser treatment. Be sure to consult with a dermatologist to weigh your options for reducing your acne symptoms.

It’s also a good idea to balance physical treatment with therapy to better gauge how your emotions are impacting your skin — and vice versa.

If you find that your anxiety or feelings of depression are manifesting physically as a skin condition, it’s a good idea to consult a professional to understand the connection between the two better.

Of course, there is no one quick fix for something as complicated as mental health and acne. Therapy balanced with treatments to physically reduce your acne symptoms like laser treatment is a good step towards clearing your skin and your mind.

Get Your Acne Treated At Our Downtown Toronto Clinic

Baywood Clinic is proud to offer professional laser acne treatment in downtown Toronto. You can rest easy knowing that we’ve been treating acne and other skin conditions at our clinic since 2001.

Call us anytime to get all of your questions about our laser acne treatment answered. We want to work with you to identify the procedure will best suit you and your skin.

When you choose our clinic to treat your acne, the procedure will be personally performed by one of our certified physicians. Be sure to learn about our team to find out more about the physicians we have on staff.

We use a state-of-the-art SmoothBeam Laser to reduce your acne symptoms and make your skin more manageable.

The FDA approved laser is used to gently penetrate the deeper layers of your skin to weaken the glands that produce the oil that triggers your acne. The procedure is non-invasive and is highly effective. The laser also stimulates collagen production, which helps to reduce the appearance of scarring.

We use a VBeam laser to treat the redness that often comes with acne — this is a pulsed dye laser that corrects pigmentation and reduces chances of scarring. Don’t worry — our lasers are always operated by one of our board-certified doctors.

In addition to acne treatments, we also offer a wide variety of procedures ranging from injections to other laser removal services. From laser hair removal to Botox, we do it all.