Image: Getty The partnership is aiming to uncover a lack of dermatological services to treat skin diseases.
French beauty multinational L’Oréal Group has announced a partnership with the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) to undertake an in-depth study into the availability and accessibility of dermatological services in 194 countries, in a bid to improve global access to dermatology.
L’Oréal said that the project: ‘Global Access to Skin Health Observatory’ is “the first global survey of its kind. It will investigate areas such as the global distribution of dermatologists, patient barriers to accessing dermatologic care for skin diseases, and access to ‘surrogate’ skin health providers in dermatological deserts.”
The company noted that there are currently two billion people living with skin disease around the world, yet fewer than half of these have access to healthcare to treat their skin issue.
It said that at this moment in time, there is “no comprehensive view of how dermatologic care is accessed and delivered across different populations and regions worldwide.”
In some ‘medical deserts’ the ratio of dermatologists-to-citizens is fewer than one for every million and in many urban areas dermatologists are massively overstretched.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that there should be at least four dermatologists for every 100,000 people, but this is often not the case.
L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, which holds brands such as La Roche Posay, Vichy and CeraVe in its stable, has undertaken the study in partnership with ILDS dermatologists to help assess and improve this issue.
The research project is set to be conducted in two phases: the first, spanning all 194 WHO-recognised member states to “define the global, geographic distribution of dermatological care.”
The second will provide an in-depth evaluation of dermatological care among the general population and healthcare providers in 30 countries – spanning all income levels and all six WHO regions (Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Western Pacific, South-East Asia, and the Americas).
The results are set to be available to the public in 2025.
“A significant but often overlooked health challenge”
When speaking about this announcement, L’Oréal Group’s president for dermatological beauty Myriam Cohen-Welgryn said that skin diseases affect more than one in three individuals worldwide and pose “a significant but often overlooked health challenge.”
She highlighted a research study that showed 88% of people with skin disease said it negatively impacted their personal life, while 27% reported depression and around 29% claimed anxiety related to the state of their skin.
“With billions of people suffering physically and psychologically, the knowledge gained from the Global Skin Health Access Observatory can help improve access to life-changing skin health services by directing resources where they are most urgently needed,” she continued.
Meanwhile, President for ILDS, Professor Henry W. Lim, said that to achieve ILDS’ mission of ‘skin health for the world’ it needs to start by understanding the global landscape of dermatologic care and the disparities in access across regions and populations.
Professor Lim called the partnership with L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty “a crucial first step towards this goal” and he expressed his gratitude to the company for its “commitment to elevating dermatologic care standards worldwide.”