Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1489006
New member benefit! Get the ASCP SkinPro app at ascpskincare.com/skinpro 61 NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS A SIMPLE, noninvasive, and novel intervention—the use of positive Insight Cards—may help reduce stress, which has been linked to myriad health problems and been identified as a risk factor for the development of aging-related diseases, as well as a possible contributor to skin aging and acne. 1 Dermatology patients showed a significant reduction in reported stress levels after using the Insight Cards, suggesting the cards could complement other stress-busting spa services. We look for ways to meet our patients' needs on multiple levels, including addressing the stress that may underlie their skin conditions. That's why Dr. Howard Murad developed 11 positive Insight Cards based on principles from mindfulness and positive psychology—fields in which stress-reduction techniques have long been popular. On each card is a phrase (or "insight") intended to facilitate stress reduction, such as "be thrilled with who you are," and "happiness resides within." The insights target key areas in the psychology of emotion, including optimism, emotional regulation, gratitude, and more. While the insights relate to specific concepts, they do not offer specific directions, allowing the sentiments to be broadly applicable and relevant to a variety of people and contexts. WHY ARE INSIGHT CARDS NEEDED? The idea behind the cards is that feeling good contributes to positive health outcomes. While many psychological models focus on pathology rather than positivity, research has demonstrated the benefit of fostering the positive, 2 suggesting a need for balanced and holistic models of care that address the body and mind, the good and the bad. Also, the relationship between stress reduction and positive health outcomes doesn't flow only one way. In the case of acne, for example, while stress may worsen breakouts, 3 the experience of having acne may also cause stress. 4 Thus, reducing stress could interrupt this self-perpetuating cycle. Accessible stress-reduction techniques are needed not only to address episodic, acute stress but also to ameliorate the chronic stress that is virtually unavoidable as a result of living in today's world. Life in modern society includes overexposure to technology at the expense of in-person relationships; 24-hour connectivity, blurring the boundaries between work and personal life; on-demand delivery of goods and services, which severs neighborhood and community relationships and contributes to long sedentary hours in front of screens; the pace of technological change, which contributes to professional, economic, and social insecurity, as one can never stop "keeping up" with the rest; environmental contaminants that expose humans to chemicals the body didn't evolve to handle, as well as to noise, crowding, and various new sources of radiation; changes to diet, which has become heavily reliant on processed commodities like corn, wheat, sugar, and soy; and changes to urban development and transportation patterns, which result in less physical activity and more hours spent sitting— whether passively or in anger and frustration. HOW INSIGHT CARDS WORK The cumulative load of such day-to-day stressors is called Cultural Stress. As its name implies, Cultural Stress is embedded in society and, thus, impossible to avoid. When we noticed the Insight Cards appeared to have a positive effect on dermatology patients and on patients with diabetes, we became interested in expanding the cards' use to a nonclinical setting: If the cards help manage Cultural Stress, they ought to be applicable in numerous contexts. The effects of Cultural Stress may be particularly evident to personal service by Howard Murad, MD, FAAD, and Paula Coyne, LVN How to use Insight Cards in your practice