My anxiety-ridden,
acne-adorned 18-year-old self was SO desperate. If you had told her a decade on, I’d have both under control and after two decades, I’d be the calmest, most confident and clear-skinned version of myself ever – and that meditation played a huge part in that – she wouldn’t have believed you. Dismissing the idea that anxiety and acne are intrinsically linked and declaring the notion that your intangible thoughts can somehow “leave your mind out into the universe and magically return to impact your physical body” ridiculous; she was on the hunt for a fix-all pill or ointment.
As I approach my 40th birthday next year, meditation is part of my daily self-care and skin-care practice, and I can honestly say my skin is the best it’s ever been (minus some lingering acne
scars, which I’ve grown an affection for). My nervous system is so regulated; not only do I have anxiety under wraps, but on occasion I think I might be dangerously close to inner peace. I had no idea how closely linked the mind and skin are, how my ongoing anxiety was a direct cause of my acne and just how much control we all have over our mental, physical and aesthetic wellbeing.
So, how are the skin and mind connected? How does meditation impact the physical body, and can positive thinking really clear skin? Let’s explore….
It was my mum, Jane Hiscock, the author of the Beauty Therapy NVQs who convinced me to do a Diploma in Advanced Facial Technologies and Skin Siences at 18 when acne and anxiety were stealing my confidence and self-esteem. It was there I learnt about the pathology of acne and the skincare ingredients that support the skin for an outside in approach.
Fast forward two decades and my job as Global Medical Communications Manager for
AlumierMD includes curating content about the link between well-being and skin health because the medical aesthetics industry at large is paying attention to holistic health. Wellness is a trend going nowhere. Psychodermatology is on the rise, and the direct link between stress chemistry produced by the adrenal glands (hello, cortisol and adrenaline) and inflammation is gaining traction.
We now know that thoughts don’t go “out” into the universe. They are internalised by a limbic system that can’t always tell if our stressful thoughts are our imagination or reality. A perception of danger by the brain can trigger the release of a ‘helpful’ dump of hormones to get us through it regardless of its physical threat (sabretooth or looming deadline, it doesn’t matter). These hormones cause inflammation in our body that can cause and exasperate disease and inflammatory conditions, including Acne and
Rosacea.
Mindful aesthetics
Luckily, the conversation about mindset is changing in the aesthetic arena. ‘Mindful aesthetics’ is leading the way and neuro-cosmetics are taking centre stage, right next to regenerative medicine. Aesthetics is no longer a skin-deep conversation; we’re talking about longevity, hormone health and stress management. As well-being and healthcare professionals, we have a wealth of knowledge to help patients build their unique tool kit that can improve well-being, reduce stress and target skin health from the inside out, too. Everyone’s stress-busting tool kit will be different. For some, busting stress is a kickboxing class or a run. For others, it’s a bubble bath or time in nature. For me, it’s meditation.
What is meditation really?
A spiritual, eastern practice adopted by free-loving hippies in the sixties, it could be easy to dismiss meditation as a physical wellbeing tool. However, Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology (P.N.E.I.) is a scientific field of study that investigates the link between thoughts (psycho), the brain (neuro), hormones (endocrine), and the immune system and is proving the correlations of mental health and physical health. Mindfulness-based apps such as Headspace are paving the way for a less spiritual and more practical approach to calming the mind and warming the Western world to this untapped resource of wellbeing. Phycologists, neurologists and neuroscientists alike are now promoting the neurological benefits of mediation including strengthening areas of your brain responsible for memory, learning, attention and productivity.
The practice can also help calm down your sympathetic nervous system, the branch of the central nervous system that triggers fight or flight mode when it perceives a threat. Regularly telling the brain that the body is safe can nudge the nervous system away from fight and flight and towards rest and digest mode through the parasympathetic nervous system. In this mode, not only is damaging inflammation kept at bay, but absorption of nutrients, an increase in cellular energy and regenerative healing all take place. Meditation is a very powerful tool that can literally save and make a life like it has mine.
If you haven’t tried or recommended mediation yet, don’t worry. You aren’t required to put on a white robe, light incense and say Om over again (although you can, it’s surprisingly relaxing). You don’t even have to sit still or be quiet if that doesn’t suit you. Any kind of meditative state which pulls your mind away from the remunerations of yesterday and the unknown of tomorrow will do the trick. Mindful colouring, walking meditation and any creative activity that takes you away from time will work just fine. Sufi meditation includes dancing, vagus nerve toning meditations can include singing and you can even meditate while doing your skincare routine mindfully.
The general idea is that you pay attention to yourself and your body in the now. Paying focus to the breath is a great way to start. Next, you might try and observe your thoughts without attaching to them. You can also move your attention around your body, consciously relaxing each body part, a practice known as Yoga Nidra. You might be surprised at just how quickly you can feel the physical and mental relaxation washing over you.
The most powerful thing about meditation is that it is available to everyone, it’s free and no fancy equipment is needed. It might just be the most accessible and inclusive wellbeing practice out there. It’s now proven to boost mental and physical wellbeing as well as immunity. it can also have a positive impact on skin health and self-esteem.
As medical professionals, you have the credibility to give this incredible practice the substantiation it deserves, and I implore you to try it if you haven’t and recommend it to patients as part of their skin-care and well-being practice. It could be the missing component of your current treatment plans to round out your holistic approach and unlock better, longer-lasting results for a range of inflammatory-based skin conditions. And remember, they say that if you don’t have time to meditate for five minutes a day, you should meditate for 10 minutes a day.
If you would like to meditate with Victoria or recommend her to your patients, she has a portfolio of meditations, including a relaxing skincare sleep story and skin-positive affirmations, on both Insight Timer, a meditation app and YouTube.
