Skin
This is often shown in dreams as the quality you display to others, or your awareness of someone else’s quality. This means things such as skin colour, condition of skin, whether rough or smooth, young, old, thick, thin, spots or scars, healthy or injured.
It is also your contact with the world. Through it you feel warmth or cold, wet or dry, and all the subtle interaction with other people and your environment. So to understand the dream consider what impression you have of the skin, then ask yourself how this connects with your self image, or your sense of your own quality. See Your Amazing Circle
The skin may also relate to what tactics we use to deal with others; our strength or vulnerability in feeling the impact of other people, their remarks and actions. It is our protection against the huge forces we deal with every day; for our skin deals with and destroys thousands of bacteria every day. You also may be sensitive to remarks which is known as being ‘thin skinned’, or if you are not influenced that is called ‘having a thick skin’.
Skin is a window on your emotions also – so any disturbance can show in your dreams as spots, boils, pus or maggots erupting or other things. So what emotions – strong ones have you felt recently? It could make you feel uncertain of what people think of you, especially if you have met a new girl/boy friend.
Example: All I remember is seeing red bubbles appearing all over my skin and being scared and then one huge one bursting on my chest. R.
When it was pointed out about skin as a window on his emotions, R. replied – Well I have met a lot of new people recently and am often insecure about what I think they really think about me; also I have met a girl here but it is still early days. I have also been worried about work and think the change in location has taken me longer to adjust to than I thought it would.
A skin can also be a disguise, a cover, underneath which another you, or another person exists. In these cases the skin might suggest something you have taken on that is not really expressing your real feelings or potential. So the dream might show you pulling the skin off or even tearing it off. See Potential
Animal skin: The spontaneous level of yourself such as instincts, flight and fight, and so your animal wisdom and survival drives. If the animal is being skinned, See: skinned animal.
Rough skin: A surface impression. If this is a dream about yourself, it suggest either that you have been through difficult times and so are well worn with a rough exterior, or you feel that is how others see you.
Burnt skin: A hurt you have suffered in relationship with the outside world or people.
Maggots breaking through the skin: It shows a possibly unhealthy condition occurring in that body area. But remember dreams use the body to often represent something other than the organ or arm – see Body
Seeing through the skin: An insight into what is going on under the surface of your mind or body.
Shed skin: Like a snake, changing your old way of life, or shedding old protective attitudes. This might refer to outgrowing a stage of your life, like a spider or snake shedding its skin because it has outgrown the last one.. So a move from youth to adulthood might be shown as this in a dream. This usually leaves you feeling vulnerable for a while as you adjust to the change.
Spots, blemishes, moles: Feelings about personal failings or some sense of not being as good or acceptable as other people. Maybe a feeling that other people see you as unattractive or can see failings in you. Often links with shyness or difficulties about facing or being in the company of people. See Victim – Avoiding Being My Own
Occasionally it could indicate that you have inner disturbances that need to be dealt with. See: Acting on your dream.
Something or Stuff on the skin: If this is a liquid or substance it could mean you have been in contact with something. As the skin absorbs all that is on it, there might be a suggestion you are taking something in that is either harmful or healing.
If it is a thing or a creature on your skin this shows you sensing an influence. What it is depends on the dream. See Animals
Things escaping from under the skin: This usually refers to powerful emotions that you have contained for some time and an event or circumstances are now allowing to surface. This means you will be aware of them in some measure in waking.
Depending upon what it is that is escaping, it can also refer to a physical condition. For instance the following dream refers to a virus the dreamer has.
I have had the same dream as I fall asleep for several years. I have it nearly every night just once, sometimes, rarely, twice as I fall asleep. I dream that I find a dried piece of skin or scab somewhere on my body, usually my foot or my hand, though it has varied over the years. I begin to pick at the skin/scab and scratch it until it comes off. When it comes off it unleashes a flood of seed spiders that engulf me. Another variation is I find some odd black hairs growing out of my body and when I examine them more closely they are regular sized spiders crawling out of me and they begin to engulf me.
Idioms: beauty is only skin deep; by the skin of your teeth; get under my skin; jump out of your skin; more than one way to skin a cat; no skin off my nose; skin alive; thick skin;.
Useful Questions and Hints:
Is the skin shown as protective – if so what against, and how well is it working?
Does my dream show the skin as an expression of who I am or the person is – if so what is the impression it is giving?
What qualities or racial type does the skin show – and what do I associate with that?
Try Being the Person or Thing and Techniques for Exploring your Dreams
Comments
I dreamt I was taking a picture of myself but when I looked at myself my skin was ridiculously oily. I don’t have oily skin normally so I’m rather baffled as to why I’d dream this., Is anyone able to shed any light? Thank you
Kim – We are in a completely different world and dimension while we dream, so your view of yourself will be completely different. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing
The meaning depends what you felt in seeing yourself with oily skin. Oil can mean many things like nut – a food – a crazy person – a nut for a bolt, etc
So try imagining yourself in the dream and see what you feel – see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
Tony
Hi.. I don’t usualy recall any of my dreams but I has this awful dream of having raw skin with eczema and split skin on my legs and was really scared… What could this mean please?? It was really disturbing
I had a dream where I had a patch of seeds that had formed on my thigh. I attempted to remove them in my dream but it was very painful. I can’t seem to stop thinking about it because it was very disturbing. What could this mean?
I had a dream where I had found a lemon, caved in from one tip toward the other and on the inside there were numerous seeds showing and falling toward it’s center. I had thrown the lemon away from me and was walking around through the dream. All the while my shin was itching and scratching against my pant leg. After a while I had decided to investigate the itching, pulling up my pant leg and revealing a number of the very same seeds, embedded into my shinn all but the pointed ends of the seeds sheathed in my skin.. what could this possibly mean?
I had a dream where I was walking to my bathroom and in the dark. I saw something purple shining and when I turned on the lights. On my right thigh some of the flesh was gone on the top towards the knee. And I could see the bones. I woke up right after that. If you could please translate this for me. I would be very grateful. Ty.
I have 2 days with this terrible dream that i have blisters in my body and the more i pop them the more they come out i have them in my stomach in my feet i dont know what it means but its terrifying can you please help me and tell me why am i dreaming this .
Sinceraly – jacqueline
I had a dream last night that my boyfriend and I went on a vacation together without the kids. On the last day I noticed on my left calf that the skin had seemed to separate and pull back, exposing the muscles, tissues and bone. I kept bandaging it since it was oozing and no one knew what to do. After ignoring it and dealing with a wave of issues that happened suddenly it healed but left this big hideous scar. I woke up in a panic which also startled my boyfriend. Any idea what this could mean????
I’ve been having insomnia for the past few days and when I do fall asleep I just get really vivid/realistic dreams. I just had a dream last night where metal music was playing in the background and I watched my best friend murder someone with a long metal rod. And right after, she was riding a motorcycle and I was right behind her tied up for some reason and my mouth was sewed shut. She didn’t have skin like she was skinned alive.
What does it mean when you dream your scrapped skin off your face with a blade to remove acne. And after realizing in your dream that you removed a c wry large thick area by my nose/face and attempted to repair it by putting the thick skin flap back. Seemed so real! I felt a lot of anxiety and regret in my dream from over doing what I had intended to do which was just to remove the acne. I bleed a lot in my dream and was able to feel/see the fat on my epidermis.
Garzme – I had very bad acne from age 11, and still have it very slightly at 77 – it changed my personality.
I went to hospital with it at one time. The treatment was to bath every day and to squeeze the blackheads also. It is caused by having an oily skin that blocks the pores so they become infected. So taking of your skin wouldn’t work – but I did think of shaving very close to take it off – but it didn’t work.
One of my granddaughter’s had it very bad and it was totally cured with a particular antibiotic tablet.
It wasn’t around at the time, and I found the best help was a mud pack made with kaolin clay. It sucks out the oil from the skin.
Tony
Hi Tony,
For over a week now I have been having dreams that I am of a different ethnicity. Sometimes I am being chased and other times I am searching but I always feel in danger, vulnerable and ostracised.
One particularly awful one – I was a starving Ethiopian child who had an identical twin. We were captured and imprisoned. They killed my twin very violently.
I am not sure what they mean but I want to help resolve the issues that may be causing them.
Thank you for reading.
Hi Tony,
For over a week now I have been having dreams that I am of a different ethnicity. Sometimes I am being chased and other times I am searching but I always feel in danger, vulnerable and ostracised.
One particularly awful one – I was a starving Ethiopian child who had an identical twin. We were captured and imprisoned. They killed my twin very violently.
I am not sure what they mean but I want to help resolve the issues that may be causing them.
Thank you for reading.
Mr.Tony,
Last night i saw a dream which in my both hands white colour big bubbles were appearing and they were rapidly growing and my hands were sooo big and suddenly all my body exploded .. Could you please be kind enough to explain me the meaning of this dream please . Thank you,
I dreamt three girls with really bad skin wanted to go out with me and were fighting over me the girl with really dry skin stands out the most. In my dream I agreed to go out with her and she was really excited and couldnt wait to see me. She took my hand and I got to feel how rough and dry her hands were. Very rough and course almost like sand paper.She also had visible dry spots all over her neck and face What does this dream mean?
I have just woken from a dream of swimming through an acidic estuary to get someone out, watching my own and theirs melt off our bodies, but I dont think we were in pain. We had also just blown a hole through the neighbour’s roof with fireworks, but I dont recall if this was the reason why we were in the estuary.
What does this mean?
i had a dream of my daughters father who passed away three years ago he never met my daughter and really didnt want to be apart of our lives. when he passed he hadnt met her yet i am now married and pregnant. In my dream we were leaving to go out me my daughters father and two of our friends. Its like i knew it was him but his face had sever healed burn marks. i was in the middle of looking for something to wear at the time i didnt have a belly but when he came up stairs to check on me i had my big belly all he did was smile and walk back down im just like what did that mean and why was his face that way.. also he passed away becasue of a gun.
Adriana – Your dream seems as if it is a communication with the father of your daughter. But because we never directly see or know things we tend to give our own translations to make things understandable. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Symbolism
The burn marks were there on his face probably because in the world he is in, his image changes to express what he feels about himself. The burns suggest that he was not proud about the life he lived and sees himself marked. Nevertheless he smiled and walked with you, suggesting that he has learned things since dying.
Tony
Ok so i had a dream that I was outside when all of a sudden I noticed my skin on my legs looked flakey, kind of like how your hands look after you get glue on them. So I proceeded to scratch it off, then peel it off. I remember that the skin under the flakes was a reddish tone and had brown spots on it. I also remember it stinging, and thats when my dad told me to go get lotion.
I dreamed of my wonderful dog I lost 5 1/2 weeks ago. He had passed but I was removing his skin.What does that mean?
Gail – I believe it is saying that your lovely dog is being given a new life. The old skin – the body is gone – now he can exist without it. For ages to was believed that snakes casting their old skin was like leaving their old life behind.
Tony