CeraVe rallies dermatologists nationwide to volunteer time on World Skin Health Day
CeraVe reveals new survey data that reinforces the need for more skin health education and exposes the barriers that prevent American adults from receiving proper care and treatment. According to the survey conducted among 1,000 adults within the United States, not only do 80% experience skin concerns, but 1 in 4 report experiencing a more serious skin condition. Yet, only 40% visit a dermatologist once a year for an annual skin check. This World Skin Health Day, CeraVe is joining the founders of the annual day of awareness, the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and the International Society of Dermatology (ISD), to spark a movement within the global dermatology community to increase awareness, education and access to skin health in underserved communities.
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CeraVe has become the first official corporate partner of World Skin Health Day, leveraging its network of dermatologists to help the ILDS and ISD spark a movement for change, per the brand. As part of its World Skin Health Day initiative, the brand is sponsoring events in North America, Argentina, Malta, Tanzania, Nepal and Australia that are driving education around the importance of equitable skin care access and helping to connect dermatologists with patients most in need. Activations in each country include training frontline hospital workers, advocacy outreach to local government and specialty care offerings for patients experiencing various skin health conditions.
Within the United States, CeraVe has called on dermatologists to take action by becoming a “Derm Changemaker” and offering free skin checks in their local communities. Through the brand’s existing partnership with the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), CeraVe and NAFC are welcoming dermatologists on July 8 in select clinics nationwide to make skincare more accessible to the patients and communities they serve.
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Providing skin checks and products to these programs are imperative steps being taken to help address a clear disparity in skin health access, as the survey also revealed:
- When asked about their barriers to dermatological care, respondents cited long wait times (27%), lack of insurance (20%), and limited availability of dermatologists (18%) as the primary challenges.
- Additionally, one-third of Americans say they cannot afford dermatological care.
- More than half (54%) visit general healthcare providers for skin health issues, which may suggest a lack of specialized care for skin conditions.
"CeraVe is committed to increasing access to therapeutic skincare for all people, -particularly those in underserved communities where there is a real gap in access to skin health resources,” said Tom Allison, Senior Vice President of Medical Dermatology Marketing at L’Oreal. “We work alongside our partners who are leading change, like the NAFC, ILDS and ISD, by offering training, mentorship, grants, and in-kind products to help close this skin health gap and ensure everyone can access the care that they need.”
Joining this movement is one of the most-followed board-certified dermatologists on social media, Dr. Dustin Portela, who will volunteer his time at his local NAFC clinic, The Marie Blanchard Friendship Clinic, in Boise, Idaho, on July 8.
“When I was in medical school, I treated a patient experiencing homelessness, and I knew in that moment that I wanted to provide free care to people who needed it,” said Dr. Portela. “My goal as a doctor has always been to give care to those who need it most, so volunteering with NAFC and CeraVe on World Skin Health Day is one way I’m living that commitment to make sure that I’m offering care beyond those who see me in the office so that I can give back to my community and make a lasting impact on skin health, and hopefully, inspiring other dermatologists to become changemakers alongside us.”
Patients who would like to visit an NAFC clinic on World Skin Health Day can visit CeraVeForWorldSkinHealth.com/MySkinHealth to find the nearest location offering skin checks. For those in the New York metro area, CeraVe employees will also be volunteering alongside dermatologists at the Brooklyn Free Clinic at the University Hospital of Brooklyn. CeraVe is offering educational training to the clinic volunteers on World Skin Health Day to help encourage long-term skin health care. Consumers can visit between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM EST for free skin check appointments, skin health education and games and prizes.