Skin Deep: A Mind/Body Program for Healthy Skin

I was extremely pleased with content and recommendations in Skin Deep. The author is knowledgeable of a variety of skin conditions and their resulting emotional attachments or reactions. For the person needing relief, there is such with numerous relaxation strategies that are actually helpful and can get you started Day 1. I highly recommend this book.

Whenever my eczema flared up, my friends would tell me I'm too stressed out. I didn't feel that way, not much more stressed out than usual, so the timing of the flare ups and the stress level at that time was sometimes confusing. After reading this book, however, I recognized it's much more than just the simple stress - more deeply rooted issues I've apparently held for a long time. I had vaguely suspected this may be the case, but didn't know how/where to start. This book gave me the guidance to do that on my own. I agree with 3 other reviewers completely. I no longer feel helpless and scared when I can feel my skin starting to flare up. I am not yet free from eczema, but knowing what may be the underlying cause of it, and how to calm it down, I have much stronger sense of being in control of my skin, body and my life.

For 10 years I have been struggling with eczema. Creams and treatments only did so much, and it never went away for long. I found that stress provoked my eczema and thought that there were underlying psychological reasons, but didn't know where to get help. Desperate I turned to the web and found this excellent book that details the reasons behind skin conditions, how to relieve the condition and to explore and deal with the underlying problem. The exercises to relieve itching work and the accounts of other people's conditions are enlightening.

The program Dr. Grossbart presents in his book Skin Deep is impressive and effective.The book provides not only a vivid account of what he does in his office in Boston, but a wide range of practical techniques that people can use on their own. As a colleague, I've referred many people to him. I've seen the approach work with psoriasis, eczema, herpes, warts , and other skin diseases. Often symptoms disappear, or are substantially reduced in frequency or severity. People come away with both skin help and markedly increased self-understanding that leads to improvements in many other areas of their lives. I've heard that people with skin problems that have not responded to the usual medical treatments come from all over the world to see him. I think this is justified. His program is "the real thing."

This is the best self-help book I've read. The healing exercies oulined by the authors are not in the least bit "new-agey" and etheral, but are parctical and down-to-earth. As a reader you are encouraged to dig deep into your own psyche to discover the sensitive issues behind your skin problem and you are emotionally supported every step of the way as if you were actually in the doctor's office. Anyone with the drive to acquire self-knowledge will gain valuable insights from reading this book. For me personally, the "animal test" and the sections on "what if it got better/what if it got worse" were particularly enlightening. This book should be a mandatory read for all doctors applying for board certification in dermatology.