Treatment 2: Psychology and skin disease

In this chapter we hope to provide an
understanding of the central issues involved in
counselling. We will outline our definition of wha
counselling is and the potential benefits of
counselling to dermatology patients. We also
discuss some of the most commonly used and
effective techniques in counselling people with
skin disease.

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Treatment 1: The people (health professionals, skin camouflage and support groups)

Professionals involved in the treatment of skin disease The parents of a new-born baby with a congenital skin condition or a person who acquires a skin disease later in life may be confronted by a wide range of health professionals. In this section we list the professionals that a skin disease patient may meet at some point during their health consultation, and briefly describe the role they play. As will be seen, the problems associated with skin conditions can be many and varied and a wide range of health professionals can be involved in the treatment process. Dermatologists These are physicians who specialise in dealing with skin conditions which require medical treatment. The conditions that dermatologists work with include acne, psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, urticaria and some skin cancers. They often prescribe conventional medical treatments such as steroid creams, tablets, lotions and sessions of ultraviolet light therapy and can give good advice to patients and parents of childre...
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Help your therapist help you

A common problem that arises when with counselling in medical settings is that your counsellormaymake assumptions about the nature of your condition and the way that it affects you, unless you are able to clearly express your feelings to him or her.In order to know how you understand the problem, the counsellormay ask for information about certain key areas regarding your illness experience. It’s often a good idea to think about this beforehand. For example, you may want to consider what the skin condition is, its course, duration and possible treatments that might be associated with it, Also how the condition affects you psychologically, coping with the condition, its effect on daily activities and on your perception of yourself? It is important to address these issues. Lack of understanding about your concerns by the counsellor can lead to problems in the therapeutic relationship and delay the benefits that you can reap from counselling.
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Do You Have Dry Skin?

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Why Does Skin Become Dry? The horny layer is water-resistant, but not waterproof. We are constantly losing water through our skin, as water from body cells slowly migrates to the surface and evaporates. On an average, we lose about a pint of water daily this way. (This is in addition to the water we lose through perspiration from sweat glands.) But certain factors can increase the rate at which your skin loses water. If you live in a dry climate, for example, you'll probably experience dry skin because arid air speeds up the evaporation process. Most of us get drier skin during the winter, too, regardless of where we live, because artificially heated air is dry. Another factor is age. As we get older, the horny layer loses some of its ability to hold water in. Not surprisingly, many of my older patients complain of dry skin. Pampering Dry Skin How can you counteract the drying process? Certainly, a mild cleanser and effective moisturizer are important. in a coming post we will tell...
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Skin disease and the parent–child relationship

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Distraction

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Cognitive behavioural therapy

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Skin-Care Basics 2

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Basic Skin Care

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