The stress from the war worsens skin diseases in children

Yesterday (Wednesday) we reported on an increase in the number of referrals to doctors due to physical pain, which is apparently caused by mental stress that has been increasing since the beginning of the war. Now it is becoming clear that there is also an increase in children and adults turning to clinics due to worsening of various skin diseases.

Dr. Efrat Bar-Ilan, a general pediatric dermatologist in the Dan – Petah Tikva district, says that more and more parents are turning to her in recent days due to the worsening of various skin problems in their children. “Sometimes these are children who have a skin disease for the first time, and sometimes children whose disease has been balanced for months but suddenly there is a significant worsening.”

According to her, in most of the referrals, the parents recognize a clear change in the child’s behavior. “Some say that the child does not stop scratching and even wakes up at night from itching, sometimes the child itches until it bleeds and sometimes the rash is also accompanied by social embarrassment.”

“Just yesterday, the parents of a child with significantly worsening atopic dermatitis contacted me,” she says. “Due to the security situation, the whole family sleeps together in the MMD with his two sisters. The child does not stop scratching at night, wakes up repeatedly and cries – and also wakes up his sisters. This is a small example of how stress affects not only the child’s skin, but also the quality of life of the whole family.”

“I also saw a 4-year-old boy who suffers from psoriasis, whose disease worsened greatly due to the situation and the stress,” she describes. Since in his case the genital area is also involved, he suffers from burning while urinating and is very itchy in the area. In the last few days, he even returned to wet himself at night – even though he was already fully recovered.”

According to her, the phenomenon is not limited only to atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. “In recent days we are also seeing more aggravations of seborrhea – a skin inflammation that manifests itself in redness, scales and itching mainly on the scalp and face. In some patients the itching increases especially during periods of stress and more of them grow up with worsening of pimples on the face.” According to her, stress increases the activity of the sebaceous glands in the skin and therefore may lead to worsening of acne.

According to her, in periods of stress it is especially important to adhere to a skin care routine. “Patients with atopic dermatitis are recommended to take short showers in lukewarm water, use gentle products without perfume and make sure to apply moisturizer several times a day – even when the skin looks relatively calm. Constant moisture strengthens the skin barrier and can reduce the tendency to itch and aggravation of the disease.”

For patients with psoriasis and seborrhoea, she recommends taking care of preventive treatment given by the attending physician, whether it is a protective cream or medical shampoo. “During stressful periods, preventive treatment is of the utmost importance. For teenagers with acne, it is important to wash your face with a suitable soap twice a day, and most importantly, avoid popping the pimples, this action may leave scars. If these tips are not sufficient, you should see a dermatologist who will arrange an appropriate treatment for you.”

Bar-Ilan explains that the connection between stress and skin diseases is well known in medicine. “When the body is under stress, stress hormones are released and they can directly affect skin diseases. Sometimes the skin is simply the body’s way of telling us how much stress the child is experiencing,” she concludes.