Relaxation therapy for vitiligo

Last Updated on 14th June 2022 by Caroline Haye

Treat your stress, treat your skin

When we think about vitiligo therapies, we usually think in terms of physical treatments. Oral and topical medicines plus phototherapy spring to mind… As well as alternative approaches like nutritional, herbal, traditional and holistic remedies. Diverse as they are, what these therapies have in common is that they aim to improve vitiligo by treating the physical body directly. But there is more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes. (Sorry Fluffy – not a good choice of phrase!) It is also possible to improve physical conditions by improving our state of mind, especially when those conditions are stress-related, as many skin problems are… Which is why I want to explore the subject of relaxation therapy for vitiligo. What do I mean by relaxation therapy? And why would we want to use it?

The stress of life: a modern complaint?

Most people reading this blog probably have enough food to eat each day and somewhere safe and comfortable to sleep at night. The chances are you also live in a country that enjoys relative peace, freedom and prosperity. You most likely enjoy luxuries and conveniences that your parents’ and grandparents’ generations never even dreamed of. So you probably don’t experience much stress in your life, right? Yeah right!

The reality is that, despite all our modern day advantages, chronic anxiety and depression are as common today as they ever were, if not more so. An article entitled The stress of life: a modern complaint? provides some fascinating historical context to this concept. And, as we continue to stave off the COVID pandemic, its theme seems all the more relevant.

Whether or not you believe (as I do) that the fast pace and technological demands of 21st century living have increased our stress levels beyond those of former generations, I am betting most people agree we are certainly no less stressed than they were. So how does all this stress affect our health? And how does that work anyway? If stress is just an emotion, how can it impact our physical body? Of course, the answer to that is that stress is not just an emotion. It is both an emotional and physiological response, which has significant effects on our entire system.

The positive and negative effects of stress on the body

How stress helps our health

Stress is not always bad. A certain amount of stress in life is unavoidable and even useful. It can also be enjoyable, up to a point. For example, that thrill of fear we feel as the roller coaster is about to plummet. Or the buzz we get from stepping outside our comfort zone to make a presentation, compete in a sporting event or perform in a show. The release of endorphins such experiences trigger create an emotional high that can last for minutes or hours. And the satisfaction we feel at rising to a challenge can even stay with us for years, giving us a mini buzz every time we relive the event in our mind’s eye. But more than that, the chemical changes this causes in our body are no less real than the emotions we experience.

Without a certain amount of stress in our everyday life we would be apathetic and have no motivation to achieve anything much beyond simply existing and feeling bored. In fact, moderate levels of stress from time to time provide useful training to ensure we don’t fall apart as soon as something adverse happens to us. A total absence of stress response would most likely lead to a state of depression and could even put us at risk of bodily harm. For example. if I was about to be mugged or get run over by a truck I would certainly want my fight or flight response to kick in… and fast.

How stress harms our health

But, as with so many things in life, there are two sides to the coin. Too much stress, or an inability to handle it effectively, can be damaging to our health on every level, from psychological to cellular. And if that stress, or poor management of it, becomes a regular occurrence the damage it causes can be significant and long-term.

This article, published by the American Psychological Association, is quite an eye-opener. It describes the impact that chronic stress has on all the systems in the human body. That is, on the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous and reproductive systems. For example, did you know that emotional stress can lead to host of serious physical ailments? Severe pain, breathing difficulties, heart disease, chronic fatigue, hormonal and immune disorders, to name a few.

It seems that every symptom and disease known to medicine can potentially result from unwanted stress. And, while stress is not always a factor in every illness, we minimise its destructive power at our peril… literally. And yet I would guess that most of us do minimise it. We think it is weak to admit to being stressed. We think we can handle the stress in our lives by putting on a brave face. But acting tough and saying you can deal with it probably won’t make much difference if your body disagrees. Which begs the question, is it better to tackle stress early on? Or wait for a full-blown disease to take hold and then treat that instead? Well, it’s a bit of a no-brainer when you think about it from that point of view. We owe it to ourselves to nip it in the bud.

The relationship between stress and skin

When physiological processes start to go wrong inside our body, our skin is often the first place we see an indication that something is not as it should be. Our skin is a very effective indicator of our inner health. Like the indicator lights on a car’s dashboard, our skin gives us helpful (if unwelcome) warning signs that something is wrong. But instead of red, flashing lights, our skin produces symptoms – typically a rash, dryness, inflammation or a change in texture or colour. (You can read more on this topic in this BUPA article.)

Our skin’s early warning system is useful because it can help us identify the problem and fix it. For example, it can help us avoid irritants or allergies. And it can prompt us to improve a poor diet (cut down on chocolate and fried food, increase our fruit and vegetable intake, etc.)

Most of us are probably used to identifying and correcting such obvious causes of common day-to-day skin problems. But we may be less likely to pick up on the dermatological symptoms of stress. And we may be slower to find a solution, if indeed we ever do. And yet the solution is, on the face of it, very simple… Remove the cause of the stress or else learn to cope with it better. But, before I suggest some ways of doing this, I want to touch on the particular relationship between stress and vitiligo.

Stress and vitiligo

Stress is not THE cause of vitiligo. In fact, research strongly suggest there is no such thing as one single cause. Rather, the condition is the result of a combination of factors that make certain people more prone to losing skin pigment. And a variety of triggers can set it off… One of which is thought to be stress. In other words, stress can be a “precipitating factor”, as this study of the relationship between stress and vitiligo suggests.

In fact, there are two distinct ways that stress can worsen vitiligo. The first is directly, as a result of hormonal and other physiological responses to stressors. And the other is indirectly, as a result of how we deal with stress… For example, by eating too much of the wrong foods, drinking too much, getting too little sleep or exercise, etc. These are all common coping mechanisms that harm our general health and impair our immune system.

Admittedly, just as stress is not the sole cause of vitiligo, neither is reducing it a sure cure. But reducing stress may help to stop vitiligo spreading and even aid recovery. So I would suggest that it is well worth a try. After all, what is the worst that could happen? Even if your vitiligo does not improve, you will feel less up-tight and anxious, your general health will improve and you will most likely live a longer, happier life as a result.

2 sure ways to reduce stress

Broadly speaking, there are two sure ways to reduce stress. The first is to minimise the sources of stress in your life and the other is to equip yourself to deal with them better. Ideally, you would use a combination of both.

Only you know what practical changes you can make in your daily life to reduce or remove certain stressors. Some changes might seem insignificant, like rearranging your kitchen cabinets so that the marmalade doesn’t fall on your head every time you reach for the tea bags. Others might be more momentous, like switching a job that you hate for one you enjoy or ditching a relationship that is making you unhappy. A thorough audit of the stressors in your life will help you identify what changes you could potentially implement to make life less stressful. Then it’s up to you to take the necessary action. And the very act of taking control is likely to be a powerful stress-buster in itself.

In reality, the number of practical changes you can make to minimise day-to-day stressors is probably quite limited. But, happily, there are a lot more ways you can reduce stress by learning to deal with it better. In fact, there are numerous activities and techniques you can easily customise into your very own relaxation therapy programme. So, here are just a few for you to consider and some relevant links to help you explore each one.

Proven relaxation therapies and techniques

• Meditation and specific relaxation techniques (check out this link: https://vitiligosociety.org/skindeep/)
• Mindfulness – living mindfully in the moment is almost the antithesis of stress
• Yoga, Tai Chi and other forms of gentle movement, meditation and breathing exercises
• Massage and other calming spa treatments
• Biofeedback – a technique that helps to “teach” your body to relax
• Nature – e.g. hiking, foraging, forest bathing (see the Dose of Nature website for examples of nature therapy)
• Exercise – anything from dog walking to dancing: whatever you enjoy doing will reduce stress
• Music (click the link for more details and for further “sound bathing” links)
• Art (this link provides specific ideas for stress-busting art projects)
• Reading (reading fiction is one of my favourite ways to relax)
• Hobbies in general (see my blog entitled Hobbies That Help Your Vitiligo?)
• Animals – from bird watching to having pets, animals can provide the perfect antidote to stress
• Social interaction -time and enjoyable activities shared with others is a powerful stress-buster
• Friendships – whether both parties have vitiligo or not, a friendship can be mutually therapeutic on every level
• Volunteering – helping and focussing on others is one of the best ways of letting go of personal stress
• Holidays – taking vacations reduces stress in more ways than you may realise
• Digital detox – even a short break from stress-inducing technologies can significantly reduce anxiety
• “Me time“– setting aside time to do whatever you want to do is not selfish; it is essential for mental health and, as such, impacts physical health positively too.

In conclusion

Stress is a known trigger for all sorts of chronic conditions and most experts agree that vitiligo is one of these. Knowing this can, paradoxically, stress you out! So I find it more constructive to focus on the therapeutic benefits of de-stressing, rather than the risks of being stressed. With that in mind, I hope that the tips on this page have helped you to focus on these in your own life too and that healthier skin will be just one of countless benefits you enjoy as a result.

(See also The link Between Vitiligo and Stress.)