Dermatological - Psoriasis and Eczema

Your skin is the largest organ in your body and as an organ it is controlled completely by your sub-conscious mind. As an example, if you were to become embarrassed the skin on your face will become red with the increased blood flow to the skin. If I asked you to do that with your conscious mind you could not do it. The same thing happens during illness and grief where a wan and pale expression is quite common. This means that through hypnosis we can educate and reprogram your sub-conscious mind to make alterations to the signals that are sent to the skin.

Plaque Psoriasis

The top layer of skin is much thicker in Psoriasis. It gets this way because the normal growth cycle of skin cells has been accelerated to 3 or 4 days, compared to 28-30 days in normal skin. Skin cells accumulate at the surface. The white, flaky build-up that sheds from the skin is actually dead skin cells. The epidermis is about twice as thick as normal in Psoriasis. The bottom level of the epidermis where cells multiply is particularly active (cells are proliferating 28 times faster than normal skin). The blood vessels of the skin expand in Psoriasis. There is also increased blood flow in psoriatic skin, necessary to bring nutrients to the rapidly growing skin cells. This combination leads to the redness of the Psoriasis lesions. The dermis is where the inflammation originates. Immune system cells are drawn into the dermis as part of the immune response that takes place in Psoriasis and these cells send inflammatory signals to the skin cells.

Within hypnosis we will be looking for a possible sensitising event. We will work with visualisations, self-hypnosis and doing stress management in cases where stress and anxiety are thought to be a factor. I have had some very good results with Psoriasis. For more information, please visit http://pinch.com/skinny?medline=99327029. This is a clinical study by the Department of Dermatology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore on the use of Hypnosis with Psoriasis.

Information and pictures obtained from The National Psoriasis Foundation

Case Histories

Eczema

In the United Kingdom, up to one fifth of all children of school age have Eczema, along with about one in twelve of the adult population. The severity of the disease can vary. In mild forms the skin is dry, hot and itchy, whilst in more severe forms the skin can become broken, raw and bleeding. Although it can sometimes look unpleasant, Eczema is not contagious.

The causes of Eczema are many and varied, and depend on the particular type of Eczema that a person has. Atopic Eczema is thought to be a hereditary condition, being genetically linked. It is proposed that people with Atopic Eczema are sensitive to allergens in the environment which are harmless to others. In atopy there is an excessive reaction by the immune system producing inflamed, irritated and sore skin. Associated atopic conditions include asthma and hay fever. Other types of Eczema are caused by irritants such as chemicals and detergents, allergens such as nickel, and yeast growths. In later years Eczema can be caused by blood circulatory problems in the legs. The causes of certain types of Eczema remain to be explained, though links with environmental factors and stress are being explored.