<p>Skin, as an external organ, plays an important role in interpersonal relationships. The chronic character of some dermatoses and their unknown etiology also makes these patients who experience them, ad hoc candidates for high levels of anxiety. Our objective was to estimate the influence of this variable on the onset and duration of skin disorders. The Inventory of Situations and Responses to Anxiety - ISRA - and a questionnaire relative to the history of the disease were administered to 95 patients. Results were compared with those of 95 persons without skin diseases. Sex, age, duration of the disease, affectation level of the disturbance and its relation with stress were also considered. We found significant differences between average scores of the two groups and between the sexes. The psychological impact produced by skin disorders and their chronic condition were related to a high level of anxiety in these patients. The anxiety response profile of these patients was also defined.</p>