But about a third of them say they have never seen a dermatologist and don’t plan to, a new survey shows.
More than 60% of Australians say they suffer from a skin condition, however almost 30% say they have never seen a dermatologist and do not plan to, a new survey has found.
The Skin Hospital commissioned PureProfile to survey more than 1000 Australians last month about skin conditions.
The survey also found as many as 84% of Australians said that skin conditions could have a negative effect on individuals, mentally and emotionally. And 48% admitted that having a visible skin condition would deter them from doing some of their everyday activities.
The Skin Hospital’s dermatologist Dr Annika Smith leads a multidisciplinary psoriasis clinic and advanced therapeutics clinic for chronic inflammatory skin disease. She said the survey highlighted the importance of encouraging patients to seek treatment for skin conditions.
“Seeking out an effective treatment is key,” she said.
“Psoriasis is not limited to skin; it is a chronic multi-system inflammatory disease which can have a significant impact on quality of life.
“The abnormal inflammation in the skin can drive systemic inflammation, affecting cardiometabolic health and brain neurochemistry to name a few, which in part contributes to the accelerated rate of atherosclerosis in this cohort and may be responsible for some of the comorbid depression and anxiety we see with this condition.”
Dr Smith said the survey results supported the fact that having a highly visible skin disorder could be stigmatising and distressing.
“It really is incumbent on clinicians to be aware of the mental health burden that a chronic skin condition, such as psoriasis, can carry with it,” she said.
Dr Smith led a recent study, presented as a poster at last month’s European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress in Amsterdam, which analysed clinician and patient knowledge and perspectives on psoriasis and cardiovascular risk, screening and management.
“We found that there is a great need for improved clinician and patient education regarding the relationship between psoriasis and CVD,” she said.
“Only 20.6% of the 103 patients surveyed in the study indicated knowledge of this association and certain clinician cohorts were not particularly aware of this association or its gravity.
“Patients also indicated a preference for CV care by a multidisciplinary and specialist led team. Heightened awareness of this issue among clinicians and patients is needed to better identify and manage patients at high CV risk and multidisciplinary care-coordination is likely to best achieve these aims.”
Dr Smith said treatments for psoriatic disease had improved dramatically in recent years.
“The treatment space for psoriasis has been completely revolutionised in recent times and current treatments have a remarkable capacity to achieve clear skin and improve quality of life,” she said.
“It is important for anyone suffering from psoriasis to seek help early. Early intervention, with effective treatment, is key to minimising the burden of this disease.”
In addition to The Skin Hospital’s team of dermatologists, it also has a dedicated team of experts conducting dermatological clinical trials from Phase I to Phase IV. The Skin Hospital is currently recruiting for two psoriasis clinical trials.
