Facts about skin disease: causes and prevalence

As is case with most illnesses, the manner in
which a skin disease is acquired, and the course it
will run, can significantly affect the way a person
adjusts to their condition. In Chapter 2 we
discussed many of the mythical lay beliefs on skin
disease. In this chapter we look at the facts about
skin disease, focusing on the definition, causes,
prevalence and treatment of well-known
conditions as well as giving a general overview of
some of the terminology used to describe skin
disease generally.
The three broad categories of skin condition are outlined below.
Progressive
Conditions that fall under this category have a known course. Conditions such as
skin cancer (melanomas) come under this heading. If left untreated, melanomas
will get progressively worse and in some cases cause death. The course that
progressive conditions follow can have both positive and negative aspects in terms
of patient’s psychological adjustment to the condition. On the one hand, because
the condition will progress in a predictable fashion, patients should know what to
expect and be able to prepare for it. On the other hand, however, the course that
the condition will be expected to take is usually based on general estimates and
may vary from patient to patient. It may therefore cause anxiety if the condition
does not progress as the patient expects.
Episodic
Episodic conditions change between periods of the condition flaring up and improv-
ing. In this case the anxietywill be caused not only by the frequency of fluctuations
between worsening and stability but also by the uncertainty of not actually know-
ing when these fluctuations will happen. These episodes may be dependent on
specific environmental or behavioural factors, but the episodes may sometimes
appear to fluctuate at random. This will have implications for how the people cope
with their condition and the feelings of control that they have over their condition.
Most well-known skin diseases such as acne, vitiligo, psoriasis and eczema can be
episodic in nature.
Acute
Skin conditions that are acute tend to be short-lived and follow a predictable
course. These conditions require the patient to act quickly bymaking the necessary
practical changes to help the healing process.