On 7th April, World Health Day will be celebrated globally, as it is every year. However, this year is slightly different, as it marks the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organisation. First founded in 1948, the WHO holds World Health Day every year to celebrate and draw attention to specific health topics of concern to people around the world. Though much of the focus of World Health Day is on physical health, it’s important not to forget about mental health and the impact that it can have on your day-to-day life.
At The Body Work Clinic, our services centre around cosmetic procedures and enhancing your appearance, something that mental health can significantly impact. In this blog, we have looked at the effects of mental health on your appearance and the treatments available to combat this.
How Can Mental Health Impact Your Appearance?
There are various ways that mental health can impact your appearance; some are direct impacts, and some are indirect. Below, we have listed some of the main ways mental health can alter your appearance.
- Skin – Many mental health conditions can have a knock-on effect on your skin, even though mental health does not directly change your skin. Struggles with stress, anxiety and depression can change the hormone balance in your body, and this can cause problems for your skin. Poor mental health can worsen conditions such as acne, dry skin, rashes, and psoriasis flare-ups.
- Dark Circles – Dark circles can be a sign of tiredness and someone having had poor quality sleep, which regularly impacts those with insomnia. Anxiety can also lead to sleep deprivation, leading to dark circles and bags under the eyes.
- Hair – Many people make the mistake of assuming that the mind and hair are not linked, but there is a correlation between the health of both. For example, stress and anxiety can lead to hair loss or hair thinning. Similarly, depression could prevent you from feeling motivated enough to care for your hair, which can lead to poor hair health.
- Weight – For many people, weight is a huge part of their appearance and how happy they are with how they look. Weight can be impacted by mental health, especially if you are feeling low. Depression could cause someone to lose weight due to a lack of appetite, whereas stress could cause someone to overeat and gain weight. It’s common for your happiness to impact your appetite, affecting your weight and overall appearance.
- Fine Lines and Wrinkles – Though fine lines and wrinkles are usually associated with ageing, and rightly so, mental health could lead to them becoming more prominent at an earlier age. Feeling sad, anxious and stressed will impact your facial expressions, and frowning is much more likely. Over time, this could lead to fine lines and wrinkles.
Cosmetic Treatments to Combat the Impact of Mental Health Struggles
Many cosmetic treatments can combat the impact of mental health struggles on your appearance, all of which are available at The Body Work Clinic. Whether you are dealing with anxiety struggles or insomnia, depression or extreme stress, our experts are on hand to help keep the evidence at bay.
- Dermal Fillers – Dermal fillers work by injecting hyaluronic acid into specific areas of the face, which adds volume back into areas where it’s started to lack. By adding volume, the area becomes ‘plumper’ and more volumised, and this can help your face look younger and fresher. It’s an excellent way to enhance your natural features while combatting the signs of ageing. If your mental health has impacted your appearance, dermal fillers effectively reverse the damage.
- Muscle Relaxing Injections – Muscle relaxing injections, also known as Botox, are a non-invasive and non-surgical way of reducing the appearance of ageing. This treatment is also an effective way of hiding the impact of mental health on your appearance by creating a smoother and more youthful look on your face. They work by reducing the movement in specific areas of the face, which then releases muscle tension. This stops the overlying skin from creasing, which allows the body to repair the damage.
- Chemical Peels – There are a variety of chemical peels to choose from, but they all work in roughly the same way. Adding a specialised chemical solution to the face encourages the skin to shed old and dead skin. This encourages new skin to grow in its place, which leads to a fresh and rejuvenated look. Though a chemical solution is used, chemical peels are safe and controlled, meaning that side effects and damage are unlikely.
As you can see, various cosmetic treatments are available if you have noticed that your mental health has started to negatively impact how you look. There is nothing easy about struggling with your mental health, and a lot of help is available, including cosmetic help. Though the cosmetic treatments mentioned above won’t change your mental health, being happy with your appearance can provide a much-needed dose of confidence and self-esteem.
Cosmetic Treatments at The Body Work Clinic
At The Body Work Clinic, we provide a whole host of professional cosmetic services, many of which are ideal for fighting the effects of mental health on your appearance. This includes dermal fillers, muscle-relaxing injections and a range of chemical peels. To find out more about any of our treatments or for more information on how cosmetic services can boost your appearance, get in touch with one of our specialists.