There is a growing recognition of the interplay between psychosocial factors and skin disease in relation to disease onset, flare-up, adaptation, and management. Many skin conditions are complex systemic diseases which are influenced by psychophysiological factors, and which in turn have the potential to trigger psychological distress. Further, it is well established that skin conditions ranging from acne and alopecia to psoriasis and vitiligo can be associated with considerable psychosocial burden, stigmatisation, and outright discrimination. Unfortunately, despite recent advances in medical treatments for a number of skin conditions, evidence based psychological interventions specifically targeting distress associated with skin conditions remain in short supply.

This book is the first text written by a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, child specialists and dermatologists for all the health professionals who treat patients with skin problems. They cover a broad range of issues affecting these patients from stigma and coping to quality of life and psychological treatments.

This publication presents currently available evidence about the extent to which dermatological diseases may, through their own nature as well as a multitude of comorbidities and their important interactions with social life, impair the life course of patients. Divided into four parts, the book starts with a brilliant introduction that highlights the importance of a life course approach in medicine from a medical as well as from a psychosocial point of view. The second part provides a basic presentation of the theoretical aspects of life course research and, more specifically, to the concepts of allostatic load and cumulative life course impairment (CLCI). The third part examines concepts related to CLCI, such as the 'quality of life in dermatology' or the 'major life changing decisions' influenced by dermatological diseases. The book concludes with an in-depth investigation of specific diseases where the concept of CLCI strikes as particularly relevant. The new and innovative evidence presented in this publication makes it essential reading to anyone who has to take social implications of skin diseases into account in their decision making: dermatologists, allergologists, pediatricians and general practitioners as well as researchers in medical sociology or opinion leaders in public health.

This book represents a simple, practical resource for all healthcare professionals working with dermatological patients with psychological aspects to their disease. The emphasis is on effective guidance rather than exhaustive case reviews, providing readers with a manual on the appropriate way to approach management of the patient in each case. Comprehensive in coverage, but concise in its delivery of information, Psychodermatology in Clinical Practice presents an idealized approach to management of psychodermatology patients within a global perspective, and provides practical tools to aid assessment of patients and in the decision-making process. It is suitable for dermatologists, psychiatrists and psychologists, dermatology nursing staff, primary care physicians and pediatricians.

Dermatological conditions are intimately related to stress. Stress can affect, reveal or even exacerbate a number of skin disorders, including alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, pruritus, herpes, lichen planus, rosacea and urticarial. On the other hand, the skin disease itself could induce a secondary stress for the patient, influencing his or her quality of life. There is increasing evidence that stress influences disease processes and contributes to inflammation through the modulating hypothalamicpituitary- adrenal axis – releasing neuropeptides, neurotrophins, lymphokines and other chemical mediators from nerve endings to dermal cells. This is one of the first books published on this topic, focusing more on the basic science aspects of stress in dermatopathology (oxidants, antioxidants, and oxidative injury in dermatopathology, dermatopharmacology, and dermatotoxicology.) Most Psychodermatology texts adopt a practical approach to identify all types of Psychodermatology disorders, focusing on clinical treatment. This concise title offers a comprehensive and didactic approach to skin diseases caused or exacerbated by stress, as well as covers the immunology, role and effect of stress on skin disease, and quality of life in dermatology. In the current programs of medical residency in dermatology, little is taught about the relationship between stress and skin diseases and this book is an important tool for young dermatologists and psychodermatologists in training.

This publication presents currently available evidence about the extent to which dermatological diseases may, through their own nature as well as a multitude of comorbidities and their important interactions with social life, impair the life course of patients. Divided into four parts, the book starts with a brilliant introduction that highlights the importance of a life course approach in medicine from a medical as well as from a psychosocial point of view. The second part provides a basic presentation of the theoretical aspects of life course research and, more specifically, to the concepts of allostatic load and cumulative life course impairment (CLCI). The third part examines concepts related to CLCI, such as the ‘quality of life in dermatology’ or the ‘major life changing decisions’ influenced by dermatological diseases. The book concludes with an in-depth investigation of specific diseases where the concept of CLCI strikes as particularly relevant. The new and innovative evidence presented in this publication makes it essential reading to anyone who has to take social implications of skin diseases into account in their decision making: dermatologists, allergologists, pediatricians and general practitioners as well as researchers in medical sociology or opinion leaders in public health.