Are Derms The New Therapists?

Something is driving young women into the derm’s office—and it’s more than a mole check.

- Jessica Matlin

FOR SOME WOMEN, a trip to the derma is stressful. But when Manika, 34, visits her dermatologist of six years, it’s pure relaxation: calming music fills the space, and she gets face time with the woman who, in addition to prescribing Manika’s acne medications, introduced her to meditation and yoga and advised her on how to navigate tricky friendships.

UNDER THE SURFACE

“At the derm, you often find yourself revealing that you don’t like something about your appearance,” says Vivian Diller, PhD, a psychologist who specialises in women’s issues. What makes this different from confiding in a friend or your hairstylist? Dermas, says Diller, have an air of authority. “You’re hoping that this parental figure can say, ‘I know what we can do!’ and reach into their toolbox. They have a lot of power.”

Derma visits are more frequent these days, too. Rather than dragging themselves in for an overdue skin check or a funky rash, many women see dermas as often as they see their hair colourists. “More and more people go regularly for cosmetic purposes—lasers, peels, Botox, fillers—so relationships develop... sometimes very intimate, dependent ones,” says Diller.