Healthy Magazine Healthy SoFlo Issue 58 | Page 24

FITNESS & BEAUTY · MARCH 2018

THE TRUTH ABOUT SKIN SHRINK

Have you ever met someone whose face tells you everything ? Are you one those people ? Ever wonder what ’ s it ’ s like to live with a face that often betrays your innermost thoughts ? Well , I know what it ’ s like because my face gives me away all the time . Just one day , for one moment , I ’ d love to be one of those people who has a plain , old boring face , one that doesn ’ t give anything away before my heart or head are aware of what my true feelings are . As if that ’ s not bad enough , my adult acne adds yet another layer of redness that I ’ ve spent my life trying to get out from under , if you will .

Here I was , leading a ‘ normal ’ life . I ’ d survived the teen years . I ’ d moved past any acne issues and somehow in my early 20s moved right into adult acne territory . After years of hormonal ups and downs , flare-ups , and a few rather ugly bouts during college , I thought I ’ d finally get a respite . I thought I was done . Nature – rather , my skin – felt otherwise . Instead of allowing it to take over and do its thing , I decided to take preemptive action .
I told myself that I wouldn ’ t go into my 30s with skin blemishes . I would finally have clear skin . There were plenty of options I hadn ’ t yet tried and others I might not have used to my advantage . It was time to make a change and go full-force with the alternative treatments . My game plan ? They say , ‘ go big or go home ’. So I ’ m going big . First up , a nutritionist to help me make the best choices with natures own nutrients . Next , a doctor of alternative medicine . After hours after hours of exhaustive research , I learned quite a bit about the dos and don ’ ts of skincare . I knew for sure that I didn ’ t want anything that could have adverse effects .
In my opinion , the best discovery wasn ’ t a stellar dermatologist , but someone whose life ’ s work is the psychology of skin . How amazing is that ? Did you know these people even existed ? They ’ re at the forefront of an untapped market that could be a gamechanger for so many people across the globe . They are experts in a new field known as psychodermatology – a bona fide skin shrink . Using hypnosis and meditation techniques , these practitioners treat the skin from the inside out . Their unique approach addresses the direct link between skin blemishes / acne with emotional issues . They believe there is a connection between stress and acne . The working theory is that the stress precedes the acne breakouts . They are essentially a trigger for acne , at any age . This unique approach has merit . Anyone who has dealt with chronic acne knows that certain things trigger flare-ups , so it only makes sense that the stressors we feel as we age would impact our skin later in life . The negative emotions we had when we were experiencing teen acne outbreaks are the same kind of emotions we ’ ll feel as an adult .
Our notions of self-esteem are rolled into our outward appearance . It ’ s part of our makeup . Negativity festers , therefore , creating a swinging pendulum between self-doubt and self-consciousness .
It becomes a vicious cycle we may not have the coping skills to address without a little help . And that help can come in the form of skin shrinking . It works on both the outward scars and the deep , emotional scars we may be holding with us .
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