CHANGING THE WAY WE LOOK AT VISIBLE DERMATOSES
26 July 2022
The first international epidemiological study on the prevalence and psychosocial impact of visible chronic dermatoses conducted on over 13,000 people
Dermatoses such as eczema, hand eczema, acne, psoriasis, ichthyosis, vitiligo, and rosacea do not impair vital functions, but can significantly affect quality of life.
The aim of the study, organized by the Department of Patient Centricity and named "Visible Diseases of the Skin (VDS)", was to explore the consequences of skin diseases affecting the face and hands, i.e. the socially visible areas.
This study involved 13,138 adult participants in 6 countries (Canada, China, Italy, Spain, Germany and France). All participants were invited to complete a structured and consolidated digital questionnaire with the patient associations involved. Association Française du Vitiligo, Association Ichtyose France, Association France Psoriasis, France3a – Association Française Acné enfants | adultes, Association Française de l'Eczéma.
The results of this study were presented at a press conference on November 30, 2021, during the Paris Dermatology Days, in the presence of patient association representatives.
Visible dermatoses, a heavy burden with significant repercussions on patients' quality of life
There is an urgent need to act for these patients who feel they are facing their visible dermatoses alone. This study makes us aware of the ordeal of these people who often believe that their lives would have been different if they did not have hand or facial dermatoses. Using a smart phone or computer keyboard can therefore be difficult for people with hand dermatoses
The functional and esthetic disability that the patient experiences has repercussions that go far beyond simply managing the skin disease. One in two patients reported suffering from facial involvement since childhood. Surprisingly, hand involvement has significant consequences for patients, which are not limited to the functional impairment that is usually mentioned.