L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty has partnered with the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) on a “landmark” study into the inequities in access to dermatological care.
The Global Access to Skin Health Observatory Study, published in JAMA Dermatology, canvassed 158 counties, and found that only one in six countries worldwide has enough dermatologists to meet the health care needs of its population.
In addition, wealthier nations are almost nine times more likely to have adequate dermatology workforce levels versus lower-income countries.
L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty and ILDS examined the distribution of dermatologists alongside barriers to accessing dermatological care, training and specialist services, representing 97% of the world’s population.
ILDS is a non-governmental organisation which promotes the global advancement of dermatological care, education and science.
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Guenolee de Lambert, Global Medical Projects Director, L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty, told Cosmetics Business that the study highlighted how skin health is deeply connected to overall wellbeing and mental health.
“When you consider that there are more than two billion people living in the world with skin disease, access to skin health should be recognised for the crucial public health topic that it is,” said de Lambert.
“The study provides the first-ever clear mapping of dermatologists and access to skin health worldwide.
“There are a lot of key learnings from this data set, but there are two that are particularly impactful.
“First, there is a global shortage of dermatologists, averaging only 2.66 per 100,000 people, compared to an estimated need of 5.63 [per 100,000 people] for adequate dermatological care.
“Second, significant access disparities exist even in relatively well-off countries, which can lead to [a] phenomenon known as ‘dermatological deserts’.”
Credit: L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty
What else did the Global Access to Skin Health Observatory Study discover?
The Global Access to Skin Health Observatory Study found, on average, 79% of dermatologists are concentrated in cities and urban areas, leaving rural and regional populations underserved.
In lower-income countries, this number rises to 91%.
This joint global assessment of access to skin health went on to further highlight the
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