Marketa Saint Aroman, Thibault Aardewijn and Claire Castagne
A-DERMA, France
Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, France
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Dermatol Dis
The world population is very diverse, containing many types of skins. Lifestyles and stressful environment influence the status
of different skin categories and can cause fragility of epidermis. A variety of dermatological procedure aim at resurfacing the
stratum corneum and sometimes further layers of the epidermis. This epidemiologic study was set up to assess the prevalence
of perceived « Fragile skin » across different skin types in a general adult population in 7 countries (Russia, Mexico, Germany,
United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Hong-Kong, Brazil) and to identify skin characteristics associated with perceived Fragile skin
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A cross-sectional subject survey was conducted in 7 countries on a representative
sample of 600 adult individuals. This online questionnaire, based on quota method on gender, age and geographical regions,
was self-administered. Descriptive statistics were performed globally but also by gender, age category and perceived fragile
skin.
Findings: Across the world, dermatological procedures are democratizing but at a different rate. For example, Brazil has one of
the highest frequencies of dermatological acts during the past 12 months. Peelings, lasers, dermabrasions, all these procedures
are more performed in Brazil than in the other countries. Hong-Kong also has an important frequency of lasers during the past
12 months. Other countries such as Germany have a low rate of dermatological acts. This epidemiologic study allowed us to
determine the perception of fragile across the world. It was more frequent in Hong-Kong and Brazil, respectively 65.5% and
64.7% and less frequent in Germany.
Conclusion & Significance: Fragile skin prevalence in the world is variable, ranging from 65.5% in Hong-Kong to 23.5% in
Germany. The results show that countries in which people frequently perform dermatological acts also have a higher perception
of fragile skin. Thus, this study confirms that dermatological acts cause fragility of the epidermis.
Marketa Saint Aroman is a Member of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, American Academy of Dermatology and International Society of Pediatric Dermatology. She has published more than 20 articles and posters globally.
E-mail: marketa.saint.aroman@pierre-fabre.com
Journal of Dermatology and Dermatologic Diseases received 4 citations as per Google Scholar report