Is psychological stress also reflected in the appearance of the skin? Possibly, says Dr. Dagmara Loader, a doctor for skin and sexually transmitted diseases at the Döbling Private Clinic's surgery center, and has even more tips for caring for this sensitive organ in times of face masks and hand disinfection.
Dr. Loader, the skin is popularly regarded as the "mirror of the soul": Our newsletter focuses on the topic of "uncertainty" - is this also noticeable on the skin?
Major stress, anxiety and worry can certainly influence skin diseases. It is now known that the skin's immune response changes when psychological stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, for example, and thus stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Chronic skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis or psoriasis can worsen under stress, for example.
What problems do patients mainly turn to you with in times of coronavirus?
A large group of patients visit the practice because of acute infectious skin diseases (e.g. shingles, erysipelas, fungal diseases), but rashes or skin changes that cause concern, such as altered moles, are also common reasons. Chronic skin diseases that are under systemic treatment are further reasons, as in these cases the therapy must continue to be monitored regularly.
What tips can you give to ensure that wearing a face mask puts as little strain as possible on the skin?
If the face mask is only worn for a short time, such as when going shopping, no special measures are necessary. It is best to stick to your usual skincare routine. Sometimes it can even be counterproductive to use too many care products, as this can irritate the skin further and lead to so-called "perioral dermatitis".
Frequent hand washing also leaves its mark. Do you have any advice on how to prevent the formation of eczema?
Frequent hand washing damages the skin's protective film, changing the pH value and destroying or dissolving components of the protective lipid layer. It is therefore important to reduce contact with water and other irritants to a minimum and to prevent further dehydration by consistently applying skin care creams immediately afterwards. The following really applies here: after every contact with water. It is best to keep a tube of skin cream next to every soap dispenser so that you don't forget to use it. If you also have a lot of contact with irritants (water, cleaning agents, food preparation, etc.) when doing housework, it is also advisable to wear protective gloves.
When should professional help be called in?
Action must be taken at the latest when eczema develops. In the case of red, cracked and itchy patches of skin, pure skin care therapy is often no longer sufficient and a dermatologist should be consulted!