In France, 16 million people are affected by a skin disease, and almost half are affected psychologically.
Since 2015, the French Society of Dermatology (SFD) has been carrying out a major epidemiological study. The goal: to learn more about French skin. This Wednesday, she presented some of the results that she has already been able to collect. And the figures are not reassuring.
In total, 16 million French people over the age of 15 are affected by at least one skin disease. That’s one in three people! Acne, eczema, psoriasis, mycoses, herpes… Twelve diseases each affect more than a million people. And in four out of five cases, those affected suffer from two diseases.
Diseases considered secondary
Acne is the most common disease. It would affect 3.3 million French people. The other most common ailments are eczema (2.5 million), psoriasis (2.4 million), scalp diseases (2.3 million) and yeast infections (2.2 million).
“Because they are less often life-threatening, skin diseases are currently the big forgotten ones in public health,” explains the SFD in a press release. They are however at 4e world rank of diseases recognized as having the most impact on quality of life ”.
Diseases that exclude
The SFD worked from a representative sample of the population of more than 20,000 French people. The questionnaires carried out also included the possible companions, and the children. The entourage was included to shed epidemiological light, but also on the impact of dermatological diseases on the psychology and quality of life of patients. More than one in two patients (54%) suffers from anxiety or depression.
These diseases are indeed not like the others. They are visible, stigmatizing, and often generate a feeling of exclusion. Elements of the environment, such as heat, sun or humidity have an impact on these diseases, which often requires an adaptation of daily life, and therefore impacts the quality of life.
“At the end of the summer, we collect people in crumbs, explains Jean-Marie Meurant, president of the French Vitiligo Association. Exposure to the sun increased the visibility of their illness. Simple pleasures, like buying an ice cream or strolling on the beach, have often been spoiled by the shocked, shifty, disgusted looks of other vacationers ”
The demographics will have the skin of dermatos
French dermatologists regret the lack of recourse to their consultations. The survey conducted by the SFD in fact revealed that 41% of people who suffer from a skin disease have not been consulted during the year. This is due to a lack of recognition and importance given to skin problems, but also to medical demography.
It often takes several months to get an appointment with the dermatologist. The medical population is aging, and the situation is unlikely to be reversed without government measures, estimates the SFD.
In the meantime, patients often turn to the internet to find a cure for their problem. Which often only makes their case worse.
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