The month of November is recognized as National Healthy Skin Month. To have healthy skin, just like having a healthy mind and body, we have to take care of it. This is commonly referred to as a “Skin Care Routine”. Did you know, however, that skincare routines are good not only for your skin but also for your mental health? Yes! You are correct; skin care is a form of mental health self-care.
Developing a skincare routine can help with mental wellness. According to Zhang et al. (2020), regular skin care improves one’s self-esteem, empowers one’s feelings of happiness, and has a positive impact on numerous areas of one’s self-image.
Mindfulness in Skin care
Taking the time to care for your skin can help relieve tension and make you feel more relaxed. One of the meditative parts of this self-care is being aware of every contact of warm water on your face as you begin your skincare routine. Mindfulness begins with experiencing each present moment when caring for your skin. As proven in the study of Parmentier et al. (2019), mindfulness enhances well-being and reduces depression and anxiety symptoms.
Simple Skin care is Enough
Allowing yourself to spend time with yourself is already the first step towards mental self-care. In reality, it doesn’t even have to be fancy products or a lot of work to see the mental health benefits of a skincare routine. Whether you use a face mask or the typical soap and water, it is okay. What is important is the act of taking care of your skin, because skin care is your doorway to starting bigger self-care acts such as going to therapy or doing things that you love.
Skin care as Part of Daily Routine
Considering skin care as a part of your everyday routine is greatly beneficial. According to Lou, Chen, Qi, You, and Huang (2017), expecting positive events provides significant benefits to one’s well-being and mental health. This is why, whenever we take a bath, we feel more relaxed and better since we are anticipating the pleasant sensation of warm water pouring into our bodies and the sensation of each scrub. What’s more, what if we make it a habit to include skin care in our everyday routine?
Skin care as a Distract
A few minutes of skin care can help you divert your attention away from unhealthy and damaging thought patterns. In contrast, the more time you spend idling, the more these thoughts enter your mind and destroy you. As you engage in simple washing, toning, and moisturizing of your face, these simple acts could help you be distracted, even just for a while.
These are just a few examples of how skin care as self-care can improve a person’s physical and mental well-being. Having said that, it is still not too late to begin adopting skin care into your everyday lifestyle. It makes no difference whether you’re a man or a woman; skin care is for everyone. Yes! Skin care is also a kind of self-care for men’s mental wellbeing (not only women’s). May we be reminded to care for our skin on a regular basis, not just during National Healthy Skin Month. For the sake of our skin and mental health, let us make it a habit to include skin care in our daily routine.
Shirley Therapeutic and Consulting Services, LLC is a diverse therapy clinic that can meet the needs of anyone. If you’d like to talk about your mental health, feel free to message us here.
References:
Dillen, K. (2021, September 9). I use my skincare routine to counteract my anxiety and self-doubt. Byrdie. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.byrdie.com/skincare-self-care-5092789.
Luo, Y., Chen, X., Qi, S., You, X., & Huang, X. (2018). Well-being and Anticipation for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 2199. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02199
Migala, J., Migala, J., Fritz, A. L., Zoldan, R. J., Lawler, M., & Stewart, K. (n.d.). 5 ways a skin-care routine benefits mental health. EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-beauty/5-reasons-maintaining-a-skin-care-routine-is-good-for-your-mental-health/.
Parmentier, F. B., García-Toro, M., García-Campayo, J., Yañez, A. M., Andrés, P., & Gili, M. (2019). Mindfulness and symptoms of depression and anxiety in the general population: The mediating roles of worry, rumination, reappraisal and suppression. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00506
Rearick, L. (2018, February 26). When skin care is also self-care. HuffPost. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/skin-care-is-self-care_n_5a86e975e4b00bc49f4341dc.
Zhang, L., Adique, A., Sarkar, P., Shenai, V., Sampath, M., Lai, R., Qi, J., Wang, M., & Farage, M. A. (2020). The impact of routine skin care on the quality of life. Cosmetics, 7(3), 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics7030059
