PROMOTING BETTER SKIN HEALTH

Skin conditions have a significant impact on patients across the United States.  More than 30 million Americans experience atopic dermatitis or some form of eczema, while approximately 7.5 million struggle with psoriasis.  Acne affects roughly 50 million Americans, and allergy-related skin inflammation such as hives impacts 20 percent of people at some point in their lives.

While these conditions materialize on the skin’s surface, their effects are far more than skin deep.  For instance, the American Academy of Dermatology reports that as many as 50 percent of patients with psoriasis experience depression; suicide is also more common among these patients.  

People with skin conditions may also fall into patterns of social isolation and experience sleep disruptions. Some suffer from anxiety.  And for patients battling psoriasis or eczema, psychological symptoms pack a one-two punch.  The conditions trigger stress, which in turn exacerbates the conditions.  These factors can undermine patients’ ability to function at work, school and in social situations – exacting both a financial and emotional toll for patients and society at large.

Yet increasingly, these patients face still another challenge: accessing necessary medications.  Some health plans require prior authorization for treatments, prolonging the time patients must spend in discomfort and potentially avoiding the workplace and social settings. The process may sometimes include a step therapy edit, requiring patients to fail a traditional treatment before getting an innovative therapy.

Allowing patients with skin disorders to resume productive, confident lives begins with allowing them to access the medications that treat their conditions.

Coming soon!