Myths about skin disease, the media and stigma

Unlike conditions such as cancer and HIV, which are ranked high on the list of
medical problems in terms of public awareness, dermatological conditions rarely
receive attention in public health campaigns and so their effect on people’s lives
tends to be underrated. Furthermore, this lack of awareness means that less is
known about the causes and consequences of skin diseases as compared to other,
more high profile, medical conditions. It is estimated that approximately 20 per
cent of the UK population suffer with some form of skin disease at any time, with
eczema, acne and infectious disorders (e.g. athlete’s foot) being themost commonly
presented complaints at GP’s surgeries.
What do people believe about skin diseases:
common myths
Skin disease, as is the case with most other medical conditions that alter physical
appearance, was viewed in the past as a form of punishment. People have also
explained it in terms of a ‘wrongdoing’ of either the sufferer or their family. This
view that some form of magical external force may be responsible for punishing
‘bad’ people with some kind of deformity dates back thousands of years. The
stigmatising nature of conditions such as leprosy, for example, have their roots in
the belief that sufferers are unclean, contagious or unable to care for themselves.
People with skin diseases have historically been treated as second-class citizens,
avoided, pitied and shunned.
These negative reactions to people who have suffered with some form of skin
condition were born out of the belief that they were in some way responsible for
their misfortune. Stigmatisation is associated with many forms of disfigurement
and is sometimes underscored by popular images portrayed in magazines and on
television. Fromfairy tales to soap operas, villains are generally depicted as having
not only deviant personalities but also ‘deviant’ physical characteristics. Heroes,
however, seemto be portrayed as flawless and beautiful.
Although mistaken ideas about the causes of skin conditions are now less
common, misconceptions and myths still abound about many of them. These
are often related to the type of skin condition. For instance, acne is sometimes
associated with immaturity or a lack of cleanliness and reactions to this can
range from pity to disgust. Reactions about skin condition tend to develop out of
beliefs about:
-How the person developed the condition.
-l The course of the condition (i.e. will it come and go or will it be permanent?).
- Whether it is treatable.
-Common views and stereotypes about the condition.
- Its location, colour, size or shape.
- The relationship to the affected person.
Myths about acne
- Acne is related to diet – no evidence exists to suggest that any particular
foods directly cause acne.
- Acne results from a person’s inability to ‘properly take care of
themselves’ – acne is actually due to inherited factors that increase the
production of a substance called sebum and has nothing to do with how a
person ‘takes care of themselves’.
-Strong cleansers and constant scrubbing are helpful – this can actually
lead to increased inflammation; mild non-abrasive cleansing is best.
- Acne is just a stage that people go through during adolescence – acne
may actually begin in or continue through adult life and can affect a
person’s self-esteemwhatever the age of onset.