It sounds like folklore: charm a wart away. Yet the effect of suggestion on warts is one of the oldest and oddest findings in hypnosis research, and it is part of a wider field sometimes called hypnodermatology.
The skin and the mind
Skin and nervous system develop from the same embryonic tissue and stay closely connected. You blush when embarrassed and go pale with fright. Many skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, hives and acne, are known to flare with stress.
There is also the itch-scratch cycle. Itching leads to scratching, which damages the skin and causes more itching. Much of that scratching is habitual and happens without awareness.
So there are two plausible routes by which hypnosis could help: lowering stress, and changing behaviour.
Warts
Warts are caused by a virus, which makes this finding the more surprising.
In a 1990 study, Nicholas Spanos and colleagues assigned 40 people with warts to one of four groups: hypnotic suggestion, a salicylic acid treatment, a placebo treatment, or nothing. After six weeks, six of the ten people in the hypnosis group had lost warts. The figures for the other groups were none of ten, one of ten and three of ten.
Earlier studies by the same team found similar results, and found that people who reported vivid imagery did best.
These are small studies, and warts often clear up by themselves. Nobody knows the mechanism; changes in local blood flow or immune response have been proposed. Still, the result has been repeated often enough to be taken seriously.
Eczema
In a 1995 British study, 18 adults with extensive atopic dermatitis that had not responded to conventional treatment were given hypnotherapy. They showed significant improvement on both their own ratings and objective measures, and where follow-up was available it was maintained for up to two years.
The same report described 20 children with severe eczema. All but one improved straight away. Among the twelve families who answered a later questionnaire, ten reported lasting improvement in itching and scratching, and nine in sleep.
This study had no control group, so it cannot prove hypnosis was responsible. But the results fit with what is known about stress and scratching.
Psoriasis
A small American pilot trial in 1999 tested hypnosis in eleven adults with stable plaque psoriasis. Highly hypnotizable participants improved significantly more than moderately hypnotizable ones, whichever type of hypnosis they received. The authors concluded that hypnosis might be useful for highly hypnotizable people with psoriasis and deserved a larger trial.
Other conditions
A review in a leading dermatology journal in 2000 listed around two dozen skin conditions reported to respond to hypnosis. The controlled evidence was strongest for warts, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. For most of the others, including hair-pulling, skin-picking, hives and acne-related picking, it rested on case reports.
How hypnosis is used for skin
- Relaxation to reduce stress-related flares
- Cooling and soothing imagery: cool water, a healing balm, a gentle breeze
- Suggestions for comfort in place of itch
- Habit work for scratching and picking: noticing the urge and doing something else with the hands
- Sleep suggestions, since itch is worst at night
- For warts: imagery of tingling and warmth in the wart, and of it shrinking
- Confidence, for people distressed by how their skin looks
A routine for itch
- Relax with a few slow breaths.
- Imagine a cool, soothing sensation flowing over the itchy area, like cool water or a cool cloth.
- Tell yourself: “My skin feels cool, calm and comfortable.”
- Add a cue: “When I notice the urge to scratch, my hand rests, and the cool feeling returns.”
- Practise twice a day and at bedtime.
Keep it in proportion
- See a doctor first. Any new, changing or unexplained skin problem should be examined. Changing moles and non-healing sores need prompt attention.
- Keep using prescribed treatment. Hypnosis goes alongside moisturisers, creams and other treatment.
- The evidence is small-scale. Promising, not proven.
- Responses vary, and highly hypnotizable people seem to do best.
The bottom line
The skin is one of the places where the link between mind and body is most visible. Hypnosis is a safe addition to proper skin care, and for itch and scratching in particular it is worth a try.
Next in the series: Hypnosis at the Dentist: Fear, Gagging and Grinding
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.