It is said our skin mirrors our inner self. In fact, the skin is the biggest organ of our bodies. It is so exposed, that whatever happens to the skin is immediately obvious.
And because of this, whenever skin conditions such as alopecia areata, dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, lichen, planus, herpes simplex, pemphigus and verrucae occur, they can be quite devastating.
The psychosomatic causes of many of these disorders is well established. And the well-known phenomena of goose pimples, sweat¬ing, blanching and temperature changes in the skin following psycho¬logical stimuli, provides further evidence of hypnotherapy's effect on skin conditions. Direct hypnotic suggestion has also been shown to produce erythema, blisters, wheals, urticaria, tumefaction, congestion, hemorrhages and various sensory effects ranging from anesthesia and hyperesthesia, cold to hot and itching to pain. But highly-motivated, suggestible and non-hypnotised persons have also mimicked the above conditions - as well as people under deep hypnosis.
Skin manifestations do not respond to mere suggestion per se, but rather to hypnotic sensory-imagery conditioning. Therefore, in a true hypnotic state you'll experience a hallucinated stimulus as if it's reality. But the degree of success depends upon the degree of autonomic control induced by the hypnotic conditioning.
In hypnotherapy, an intense hypnotherapeutic relationship between the hypnotherapist and client is combined with the therapist's ability to release a sufficiently strong effect - which often results in dramatic recovery. In dermatological disorders, the greater the client's conviction of therapy or a "cure", the less the therapist's suggestive "power" is required. This is probably due to the liability of the skin to emotions. But a lack of conviction on the part of the therapist can lead to poor results, so make sure you visit a hypnotherapist who is experienced in treating skin conditions.
Major research indicates hypnotherapy can assist where over the counter ointments and drugs have failed, but hypnosis does rwt replace drug therapies prescribed by dermatologists. However it's worth noting that direct hypnotic suggestion can relieve itching and scratching, which can certainly assist with most skin conditions. And for this reason, many people with skin problems can benefit from hypnotherapeutic sessions.