Mental health woes can take a toll on your physical appearance. Cleaning yourself up is one way to improve how you feel, but is it enough? How does one factor influence the other? 

The connection between skincare and mental health is complex and works in both directions. Your appearance affects your mood and mindset but can also reflect it. How does this complicated relationship affect women? Here’s what science knows and how to use it to feel better about yourself, inside and out. 

How Does Mental Health Affect Skin Care? 

Mental health affects skin care in several ways. The first is mustering the enthusiasm to do what you should to care for your complexion. For example, disorders like depression can sap your energy, leaving you unable to get out of bed at times, let alone wash up. Oil and grime can accumulate, clogging pores, causing acne and promoting premature ageing from the free radicals left lingering on your skin. 

Schizophrenia shares an association with various skin disorders, including inflammatory dermatosis and autoimmune diseases such as psoriatic arthritis. People with anxiety are more likely to have eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, hives and some types of hair loss. 

Furthermore, unexpressed feelings can find expression in your body. For example, relentless stress levels that spiral into anxiety disorders alter the levels of various hormones that also impact skin health. You may find yourself with more frequent breakouts even if you practice self-care.

It’s important not to become discouraged by a lack of results, but that’s easier said than done. Working with a therapist can help you dig through the deeper issues impacting your appearance and make you feel better emotionally while improving your complexion. 

How Does Skin Care Affect Mental Health?

One piece of advice therapists often give depressed patients is to practice self-care. However, doing so can be easier said than done. This disease affects the brain’s reward system, which also regulates alertness. Those with depression who manage to shower and clean themselves up often report a dramatic improvement in their mood — it’s finding the momentum to take that first step that trips up many. 

However, practising better self-care is in no way a cure for mental health issues. After all, experts project the skin care industry will grow by $145 billion by 2028, but rates of various disorders also continue rising. Anxiety and depression alone increased in prevalence by 25% during the pandemic, and events since haven’t improved matters. There are multiple wars on the international stage and people at home lose housing despite working full time or more. 

A lack of attention to skin care can indicate depression. Continuing to neglect your appearance only compounds your negative feelings about yourself every time you look in the mirror. However, understand that a trip to the aesthetician won’t fix deeper issues. 

Practice self-care — but also seek professional treatment. If you are among the many who can’t afford it, please investigate support groups and today’s tech solutions. Apps like Better Help connect you with professional therapists from a distance for a fraction of the price of traditional treatments. 

Gentle Tips for Nurturing Your Mental Health Through Skin Care — and Vice Versa

If your mental health affects your skincare routine and vice versa, you can adopt gentle self-care practices that may help you feel better. While they aren’t substitutes for professional treatment, the more ports you have to weather the storm, the better. Hopefully, these activities can complement therapy and support groups. 

1. Do One Thing 

You may lack the energy to do your full routine, but can you get up and wash your face? Often, doing one small thing leads to a ripple effect of goodness — the positive energy you generate simply by getting up and doing something for yourself encourages you to continue. 

However, don’t beat yourself up if you use face wash, then lay back down. Congratulate yourself on your efforts and commit to doing even better tomorrow. 

2. Check Yourself 

Use your skincare as a thermometer to measure the severity of your mental health issues. If you have trouble sticking to your routine, you know to reach out for help. 

Additionally, be mindful of other factors affecting your skin and mental health. For example, a poor diet can destroy your complexion and your mood. Focus on eating healthier, whole foods that resemble their natural forms, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains, eliminating ultra-processed junk. 

3. Create a Loving Routine 

How often are you guilty of putting yourself last? Doing so continually impacts your mental health.

Instead, schedule regular “me time,” adding it to your planner and giving it equal importance as other activities like finishing that budget report. You might even prioritize it above other activities if you’re severely burned out and your mental state is impacting your ability to perform your daily tasks. 

4. Reward Yourself 

One factor affecting mental health is that many times, your best efforts can go unrewarded. Doing so impacts mental health by robbing your sense of agency, and your belief that your actions make a meaningful difference. 

You can’t change the world, make your boss give you the raise you deserve or change a narcissistic partner who expresses little interest in anything but themselves. However, you can reward yourself. Build little treats multiple times daily — a cup of coffee in a sunny, quiet location, a few moments of reading beneath the sheets before bed or a new skincare cream to symbolize your commitment to self-care. 

The Connection Between Skin Care and Mental Health 

Skincare and mental health affect one another — the flow goes both ways. Changes in your appearance can be symptoms of a disorder or aggravating factors that lead to a vicious spiral. 

While there’s no substitute for professional care, improving one can help the other. Build more self-care into your routine and boost your mood.

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Mia Barnes is a health and wellness writer and the Editor In Chief at Body+Mind. She especially enjoys writing about mental health, physical well-being, mindfulness, and healthy living. When she's not writing, you can find Mia reading romance novels, jogging, and trying new recipes!