Skin Problems

Another fascinating lecture at the Chemistry Society, this time on "Skin Health for All - Confronting the Silent Tragedy of Skin Disease".

For a problem which affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, it receives virtually nothing for research; 42% of the money spent on research goes on AIDS/HIV, and only 0.5% goes mon trying to find cures and treatments for skin complaints.   And yet the affects of skin complaints can be devastating.   

The lecturer, Paul Matts, showed pictures of East Africans affected by podoconiosis, which is caused by dry skin cracking and absorbing the kaolin from the soil as they walk around barefoot.    Their feet and legs swell up to giant proportions, they can't walk, can't work and their lives become hopeless.   And yet, they can be cured very simply, through washing with clean water, applying moisturiser to the dry skin, and then wearing shoes so the kaolin doesn't get under their skin.  

Skin diseases account for approximately half of the diseases of the developing world, but in most cases do not kill - they just incapacitate and ruin lives.

One particular problem, of which I was completely unaware, is that of the African albinos.   In Europe, albinos occur one in every 20,000 births; in Tanzania, it is once in every 1400 births, and in that country they are not only ostracised, but cannot hide - in Europe, an albino is not nearly so noticeable and may be taken for someone who is just naturally very fair.    Research need to be carried out to find out how best they can cope in the hot African climate, which their melanin lacking skin is not designed for.