Global skin health crisis: 4.8B affected by systemic neglect of dermatological equity in WHO priorities
Original framing: “[Comment] The Lancet Commission on Skin Health: aligning with WHO priorities” — The Lancet
Cross-cultural comparisons reveal that skin health is framed differently across societies: in Ayurveda, it is linked to systemic balance (doshas), while in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is tied to 'heat' and 'dampness' in the body. African traditional medicine often treats skin conditions through community-based herbal remedies and scarification, which are systematically excluded from global health metrics. These diverse frameworks highlight the limitations of Western biomedical models, which often reduce skin health to isolated pathologies rather than holistic well-being.
The Lancet Commission’s framing of skin health as a niche specialty within global health governance reflects a colonial legacy that deprioritizes dermatology in favor of infectious diseases and high-cost interventions.
This technocratic approach obscures the 4.8 billion people globally affected by skin diseases, 80% of whom live in LMICs where dermatology is underfunded and traditional knowledge is ignored. Indigenous systems like Ayurveda and African traditional medicine offer holistic, preventive models that challenge Western biomedical reductionism, yet their integration into global health agendas remains marginalized. Structural reform—such as decolonizing dermatology education, scaling community-based care, and prioritizing skin health in UHC—is essential to address this systemic inequity. The path forward requires centering marginalized voices, co-designing solutions with local communities, and reimagining skin health as a reflection of systemic well-being rather than isolated pathology.