The public health approach to the burden of common skin diseases in the community.

The vast majority of work performed by dermatologists in clinical practice is managing common skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis, acne, tinea, warts and in some countries skin cancer and in others skin infections. Governments and other health organisations rely on data to plan medical services. Dermatologists seek the same data to justify their existence. In Australia, we have been studying the frequency of these conditions showing that they are very common, with particular conditions occurring at particular ages. Our data show also that less than 50% of people seek advice from the medical practitioner, with pharmacists being the most common of the other sources of advice. People are frequently misinformed about their conditions and may be using treatment that is of no value. These data suggest the need for both public and professional education programs informing the public where to seek correct advice and teaching those who provide it to ensure that they have the knowledge to do so.