The Public Health Intervention of Skin Care for All: Community Dermatology

Abstract

So often said, “The skin is the largest organ of the body and the most visible.” Less often emphasised is Skin Failure, a public health problem of great magnitude that is global and a major precursor of long term disability and non-participation. Skin failure manifests as; 1) the loss of barrier function between the body and a threatening environment; 2) the inability to manage overheating or excessive cooling; 3) sensory impairment so that there is itch, pain or numbness, and 4) the disfigurement and consequent faulty communication of the ‘look good feel good factor’. Skin failure is managed by physician belonging to the profession of Dermatology that has had several years of additional training in the diagnosis and management of skin diseases. There are also wound healers, lymphoedema managers,employees of burns units, and custodians of neglected tropical skin diseases such as, for example, leprosy, leishmaniasis,onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, yaws and Buruli ulcer, which must be members of an alliance to provide skin care and promote skin health for all.