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The Essentials of Psychodermatology pp 9–18Cite as

Skin and Psyche: Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology

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Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss and summarize the biological mechanisms behind the mind-skin connection to understand the link between stress and skin. With examples of several psychophysiological dermatoses, we also present the link among neuroendocrinoimmunology, nutrition, mental health and the gut-skin connection. We argue that psychophysiological dermatoses and their psychiatric comorbidities may represent a dysfunction of several and interconnected mechanisms, such as the corticotropin releasing hormone-adrenocorticotropin-cortisol axis and the mast cells, the sympathetic and the cholinergic pathways as well as neuropeptides and their receptors in the skin and hair follicles. The understanding of the pathophysiology between the stress and the skin is of utmost importance to better understand and define adequate management strategies for psychophysiological dermatoses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Centre Hospitalier de Mouscron, Mouscron, Belgium

    Bárbara Roque Ferreira

  2. Centre for Philosophy of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Bárbara Roque Ferreira

  3. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Psychodermatology, Central Michigan University & CMU Medical Education Partners, Saginaw, MI, USA

    Mohammad Jafferany

  4. Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Arsh Patel

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  1. Bárbara Roque Ferreira
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  2. Mohammad Jafferany
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  3. Arsh Patel
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Roque Ferreira, B., Jafferany, M., Patel, A. (2020). Skin and Psyche: Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology. In: The Essentials of Psychodermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45582-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45582-8_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-45581-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-45582-8

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