by fut
Yes, we all know acne can make you angry, sometimes even miserable, but does being prone to anger make you more prone to acne? Although there have been some studies on the psychological impact of acne, little research has been done on the interaction between what psychologists term trait anger and acne. Trait anger is the tendency to become angry easily and frequently; it is part of what is sometimes called the type A personality.
Trait Anger’s Implications
Trait anger has been linked hypertension, heart disease and other health problems. This association has led some researchers to theorize that trait anger might also be linked to acne. Researcher D. A. Rapp and his colleagues theorized that trait anger might be linked to acne severity, patients’ skin-related quality of life, and patients’ compliance with and satisfaction with treatment. In 2004, Rapp studied nearly 500 acne patients to determine trait anger’s relationship to acne.
According to their expectations, Rapp and his colleagues found that trait anger did have a negative impact on a patient’s perceived quality of life, as well as on the patient’s satisfaction with treatment. Rapp did not find a strong association between the clinical severity of a patient’s acne and their level of anger, but he notes that further studies directed solely at this one factor are needed.
Implications for Practitioners Treating Acne
Because of the strong association between trait anger and patient’s quality of life and satisfaction with treatment, Rapp recommends that practitioners treating acne should try to assess the psychological impact the condition has on their patients. Practitioners should inquire how acne affects the patient’s life, validate the patient’s feelings about the problem, offer ideas for dealing with the negative impact of acne, and continue to monitor the patient’s quality of life during the course of treatment. Such practices would go a long way in improving the doctor-patient relationship. The emerging field of dermapsychology, in which dermatologists and psychologists work together for a healthy outcome for the patient, is based upon such practices, along with the realization that whatever its relationship to trait anger, acne can definitely lead to depression and lower self-esteem.
Given the recent studies showing the link between acne and stress, it would not surprise me if future studies find a definite link between trait anger and severity of acne. I have long been convinced of the link between physical and emotional health.
Realistic Implications
We all know that hormones effect acne. Stress, including anger, can effect your hormones, stimulating excess sebum production. The low down is, try a stress free lifestyle to help improve your acne.
Source
Rapp, D.A., et al. “Anger and Acne: Implications for Quality of Life, Patient Satisfaction and Clinical Care” British Journal of Dermatology 151 (1): 183-189, 2004. http://medscape.com/viewarticle/484747
by Admin
“With time research, and experience, laser, and light therapies may eventually be light years ahead of traditional acne therapies,“ says Gilly Munavalli, M.D., who has been experimenting with a combination of light therapy and suction. Light therapy for the reduction of acne symptoms has been used for sometime; now a new approach is combining light therapy with the use of suction on the skin. This new approach, known as photopneumatic therapy (PPX), has so far only been tried in a small study, but the results are promising. According to Munavalli, the bacteria killing effect of the pulsing light used in the treatment is significantly enhanced by skin vacuuming, which unclogs pores and brings them closer to the surface, where thelight will be more effective.
The study
Munavalli’s original study was conducted on fifteen patients, whose acne had failed to respond to traditional treatments. Most patients showed improvement after two or three PPX treatments. The treatments take only fifteen to twenty minutes and the study patients were treated at one or two week intervals. Munavalli was so impressed by the results of his study that he has since used the treatment on a hundred other patients.
The Benefits
PPX reduces the incidence of skin blistering sometimes seen in other light therapies, since it uses less light energy. PPX is bound to be enthusiastically greeted by many acne sufferers, such as myself, who are tired of the skin drying effects of topical treatments and the sometimes serious side effects of oral acne medications. As I’ve grown older, I have become increasing dissatisfied with drying tropical treatments. Who wants to be rid of pimples, but look like a wrinkled prune as a result of acne medications? I welcome any new innovation in external treatment.
FDA Approval, But
The new treatment has already received FDA approval; however, this only means that the agency considers the combination of two previously approved treatments to be reasonably safe, it does not mean that the government is saying that PPX effectively treats acne. Some dermatologists routinely use laser and light therapy to treat acne and are convinced of its effectiveness, but the jury is still out on PPX. The American Academy of Dermatology has yet to determine if light and laser therapies are effective in the treatment of acne.
Source
Boyles, Salynn. WebMD Medical News, “Light Plus Suction Promising for Acne,“ April 12, 2007.
http://www.webmd.com/news/20070412/light-plus-suction-promising-acne
