The BDD Foundation was recently featured in Women’s Health, where our Managing Director, Kitty Newman, and Vice Chair, Amita Jassi, contributed expert insights to an article exploring the growing pressures surrounding skincare culture and the impact on mental health.
Skin is one of the most common areas of concern for people experiencing BDD, and a significant proportion of individuals with BDD experience skin focused preoccupations and behaviours, often driven by intense distress about perceived imperfections that may appear minor or unnoticeable to others. Importantly, these concerns can persist even after a skin condition such as acne has resolved, with the emotional impact continuing long after the physical symptoms have changed.
As highlighted in the article, the naturally fluctuating nature of skin can intensify the urge to monitor, control, or ‘fix’ perceived flaws. At the same time, growing cultural pressure for rapid aesthetic transformation and extreme skincare may inadvertently worsen appearance anxiety and BDD for some people, reinforcing cycles of checking, reassurance-seeking, and avoidance.
Kitty explains: “The fluctuating nature of skin fuels the need to control it, while the fear of bad skin, new lines or flaws can be very intense.” These experiences underline the importance of compassion-focused approaches, realistic expectations, and access to evidence-based psychological support when appearance concerns begin to significantly affect daily life.
We are pleased to see increasing discussion about the psychological impact of BDD in relation to skin, and the importance of recognising when skin concerns may be linked to BDD.
