‘Love the skin you’re in ‘ is a saying that has become more popular than just a slogan for a soap company; women around the world are adopting this as a base for their fashion desires – saying size, skin colour and so on are not all that important. 
But our skin is the body’s biggest organ and is often subject to blemishes like spots, acne, boils and psoriasis. Psoriasis affects 2-3% of people in the UK, says the NHS, and there is no known cure for it.
The severity of psoriasis varies greatly from person to person, says the NHS. For some people it’s just a minor irritation, but for others it can have a major impact on their quality of life.
Psoriasis is a long-lasting and chronic disease that usually involves periods when there are no symptoms or mild symptoms, followed by periods when symptoms are more severe.
Psoriasis is a speeding up of the skin’s replacement process when certain immune cells become over-active, says the BBC’s Newsbeat programme. The programme’s reporter added that suffering from psoriasis can have a significant psychological effect. Some people report having anxiety, depression or stress as a result.
And while there is no definite ‘fix’ for psoriasis, the NHS says the first treatment used will be a topical treatment, such as vitamin D analogues – creams and ointments applied to the skin.
If these aren’t effective, a treatment called phototherapy may be used. Phototherapy involves exposing the skin to certain types of ultraviolet light.
But hypnotherapy can help, too. It can address the psychological side of psoriasis and treat the anxiety, stress and depression which sometimes exacerbate the condition. The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) has highly-trained therapists across the UK who can help.
Former NCH marketing director Paul Howard has carried out a study into psoriasis and has found that hypnotherapy can treat the condition. Working with clients who suffered from plaque psoriasis, Howard achieved a success rate of nearly 50% after just one year.
Since then, he and other hypnotherapists have continued to successfully treat psoriasis sufferers.
There are usually three personally traits in psoriasis sufferers – feelings of anger, being a victim or having low self esteem. Working with whichever of these are presented in the client, the therapist can bring about change.
Working with the client’s sub conscious mind, the therapist can bring about meaningful change and, in just a few sessions, make this change permanent.
Hypnotherapists are on the NCH register and if you need to find one near you, simply use the NCH directory. It is that simple.