Acne disease (acne) in any medical reference book is designated as a problem inherent not only in adolescents, but also in adults. And all reference publications begin a description of the disease with an indication that the causes of the pathology today remain unclear. Only the predisposing factors are indicated - hormonal changes, metabolic disorders at the cellular level of the skin, violation of hygiene rules, and so on.
Meanwhile, psychosomatic medicine, which studies human health from the point of view of the relationship between the body and the psychological, knows the answer to the question of where acne comes from.
In this article we will look at the psychosomatic aspects of acne and some other skin problems.
Acne - what is it?
Acne on the face, back or other parts of the body, from the point of view of official medicine, is a malfunction of the sebaceous gland, in which its blockage and subsequent inflammation occurs.
Acne most often starts during puberty, which doctors associate with increased production of sex hormones and, as a result, disruption of the sebaceous glands, manifested by increased secretion. In adults, acne is most often associated with the use of certain cosmetic products, especially those based on paraffin, as well as an unfavorable climate - heat or too high humidity.
Not the last place is given to genetics - parents who themselves suffer from acne very often pass it on to their children.
Nervous acne is also quite common. Such cases usually include teenage acne, and rashes in women before menstruation, and any other acne, the appearance of which cannot be explained by other reasons closer to medicine.
For treatment in medicine, it is customary to use hormonal drugs, antiseptics, external agents with a drying and disinfecting effect. They also recommend changing the diet and lifestyle. When acne is infected, suppuration, the formation of a boil, antibacterial drugs are prescribed.
Treatment, therefore, is based on the elimination of external manifestations. The causes often remain unknown, and therefore traditional medicine does not treat the causes of acne.
Acne on the face in psychosomatic medicine
A special area of medical science - psychosomatics does not consider acne as only a skin problem or a problem of human hormonal levels. With great respect for the theory of the mechanical occurrence of acne, hormonal and others, psychosomatics still has its own opinion about why acne appears, and how to deal with it.
The sebaceous glands, which are on the skin of every person, perform a protective function. They produce a secret that additionally protects the skin from pathogenic bacteria, negative climate change, and so on. They increase the elasticity of the skin, thereby making the protection more reliable. In this way, increased work of the sebaceous glands is not only a consequence of hormonal changes, but also a strong human need for protection.
If he feels threatened, unsure of himself, feels a sense of his own insecurity, the process of excessive work of the sebaceous glands is regulated at the level of the central nervous system. Subconsciously, a person tries to create an additional protective layer for himself.
Until a certain age, most children do not think about their safety issues, since this issue is effectively solved by their parents or other adults who are raising a baby. With the advent of puberty, a lot changes - there is a need for separation from care, at the same time, there is no confidence that this life will be able to cope with alone.
The feeling of insecurity is exacerbated, along with it comes fears - to be ugly, not to please someone, not to match the image from the cover.
Lack of personal life experience makes a teenager very dependent on the opinions of others. Anxiety grows, and at one point, at the level of the central nervous system, the process of more active work of the sebaceous glands is started to protect against the horrors of the world.
Teenagers are different. Some are brought up with a sense of their own uniqueness, others always doubt everything and cannot form their own opinion about themselves in any way. The second are the majority. And therefore, the number of cases of teenage acne is the majority.
If an adult suffers from acne, with a high degree of probability, he has taken out a huge number of complexes from adolescence. The attitudes that were formed in childhood are influencing - "My home is my fortress", "It's safe only where everything is familiar."
Such people lose a sense of security at the slightest step out of their comfort zone - a trip, a business trip, a divorce, or moving to a new place of residence. It is during such stressful moments in adults with incorrect attitudes about safety and safe places that the face or other part of the body blooms with acne.
Thus, acne in children and adults is a sign of a violation of ideas about their own safety.
Such violations can manifest themselves in different ways. Much depends on how old the patient is, what gender he is, what temperament he belongs to, as well as on individual character traits.
Development mechanisms
Due to the feeling of a possible threat, internal exactingness in more reliable protection, a person can "quarrel with the outside world", limit contacts with him - this is exactly how furunculosis manifests itself with severe, frightening rashes. The patient “needs” it, because he himself “ordered” it to limit communication with people. With boils, he asks to leave him alone as he is, not to try to change him.
Small acne most often occurs when there is an internal conflict between the desire to please and communicate and the inability to do so because of their own lack of confidence in their attractiveness. In some cases, the cause of such teenage acne must be sought in insufficient emotional contact with the mother.
If the parents are too strict and authoritarian, then the child's feelings get used to being suppressed. As a result, these children, whose opinion moms and dads are not very interested in, suffer the most extensive and intractable acne.
In children and adults who are prone to one-time, but vivid manifestations of anger, outbursts of anger, most often acne does not appear constantly, but sporadically. Usually right after the negative emotion is released.
Localization matters!
Of course, in psychosomatics there is a lot of individuality, but there is some regularity between the place where the rash occurred and the reason for their appearance. In any case, the place can tell an experienced psychoanalyst or psychosomat in which area of life to look for the root of the problem.
- Rash on the skin of the face - almost always mean that one should look more closely for the reasons for fears and uncertainty in a person's self-identification. The more profuse the rash, the more insecure he feels. Accumulation of a rash on the forehead - fear of condemnation, of public opinion, fear of “losing face”, dependence on public opinion.
- Acne on the nose or chin in women, men, and teenagers may well speak of severe stress, fear of the future, the uncertainty with which they look into this future.
- Skin rashes on the shoulders, neck and back most often they are characteristic of people who are responsible, even overly responsible, who are accustomed to shoulder a heavy moral and emotional burden on their shoulders. The stronger the internal conflict in which you want to throw off the burden, but gnaw at the feeling of guilt, the more severe the acne will be in these areas.
- Acne on the buttocks talk about disorders of the personal, sexual or emotional spheres, about problems in relationships with a partner. In adolescents, such pimples on the pope can be associated with the inability to release sexual energy.
- Acne on the ear, head (in the scalp) they say that the cause should be sought in fear of criticism, which, most likely, the patient suffers. Either it is, indeed, excessive, and self-esteem suffered, or it was invented by the person himself to justify his unwillingness to hear and perceive the opinions of others.
- Purulent acne - aggression, irritability... Subcutaneous - hard inner experiences that cannot come out in any way, a painful inner burden of shame, fear, disappointment (usually in oneself or in very close people).
What do the researchers think?
Louise Hay, popular all over the world, believed that acne was a sign of self-loathing and suggested coping with it with positive affirmations, which are designed to replace a negative attitude towards self-love.
According to Liz Burbo's descriptions, acne is always associated with a subconscious desire to be alone, not to be seen by others. The more he wants to remain unnoticed due to insufficiently high self-esteem, the stronger and more extensive acne appears.
Liz associates adult acne with the desire to seem completely different from what a person is. In this case, the psychologist puts in the first place the fear of loneliness, the violation of safe and familiar relationships, which, according to the psychologist, make you not yourself.
Dr. Valery Sinelnikov believes that teenage acne, in general, should not embarrass anyone, their appearance is the first lesson in love for a maturing person.
A teenager learns to love himself first of all, anyone, including those with acne. This lesson is very important if it is successfully completed, acne quickly "overgrows" and responds well to treatment.
If the teenager does not learn the lesson, the subconscious mind, with the persistence of a patient teacher, will return to the topic again and again - this is how adults appear who suffer from acne and do not want to learn to accept themselves, to love for who they are.
Bodo Baginsky and Sharamon Shalila see acne as a consequence of suppressing strong emotions, mainly anger and irritability.
Oleg Torsunov, known for his categorical approach to psychosomatic issues, assures that such base feelings as greed, depravity of reason, laziness are to blame.
Treatment
You should not refuse traditional treatment. It will help eliminate the external manifestations of an internal problem. But without realizing the second and rethinking the situation, you can't get rid of acne - acne will come back again and again. Squeezing out acne is a subconscious attempt to get rid of the problem, but it is not only dangerous by completely material infection of the wound, but is also capable of "driving" an internal problem to a deep level. What to do?
Learn to relax, consult with a psychologist, find the cause from the spectrum we have outlined and do everything to eliminate it - learn to accept and love yourself, do something that will increase self-esteem, look more confidently into tomorrow.
