Face up to rosacea: Galderma launches online support to empower and equip rosacea sufferers to discuss the true burden of their disease with their physician

New 'Face up to rosacea' campaign comprising of online content and a downloadable, personalized patient appointment guide, encourages people living with the distressing skin disease to seek expert support from a family physician, and potentially a referral to a dermatologist, to help break the cycle of rosacea and aim for long-term treatment success

THORNHILL, ON, Oct. 23, 2019 /CNW/ - Launched in Canada today, Galderma's new Face up to rosacea campaign aims to help close the communication gap between people living with rosacea, family physicians and dermatologists. A one-stop shop for online rosacea support, the campaign website – www.faceuptorosacea.com – enables people that have been diagnosed with rosacea to create and download a personalized appointment guide, helping them open up about the physical and emotional burden rosacea can cause and drive conversations about long-term treatment success.

Rosacea is a disease which is estimated to affect around 415 million people worldwide.¹ It's a visible condition often characterized by symptoms such as facial flushing, persistent erythema (redness), and inflammatory lesions (spots). Galderma's global research revealed that rosacea has a significant impact on people's quality of life with 86% of sufferers substantially modifying their behaviour and daily lives to avoid triggering flare-ups. However, reluctance to discuss the true burden means that physicians can overestimate the impact of symptoms typically associated with rosacea but underestimate less visible or well-known symptoms such as stinging, burning, itching and pain.²

"During your next appointment with a family physician, help them fully understand what is bothering you specifically about your rosacea, both physically and emotionally", says Dr. Jerry Tan, Adjunct Professor, Western University, Windsor, Ontario. "Every patient is unique and going through a different rosacea journey; by sharing your story, with the help of your personalized appointment guide, your family physician can understand how rosacea affects your daily life and can consider referring you to a dermatologist to help you get the results you want."

The Face up to rosacea website guides the user through a series of questions relating to their individual signs and symptoms, how their rosacea makes them feel and what treatments they have used in the past, before creating a personalized appointment guide for the user to take to their next family physician consultation and dermatology referral.

Recognizing the importance of transparency between people with rosacea and their healthcare professionals, Face up to rosacea aims to give people the confidence to speak out about the true impact of their disease, enabling family physicians and dermatologists to better understand individual needs. "Galderma is committed to advancing rosacea patient care. By listening to the views of rosacea sufferers and healthcare professionals from around the World, we identified an opportunity to support dialogue between patients and doctors in a really tangible way. The new personalized appointment guide has the potential to truly revolutionize future rosacea appointments, leading to better outcomes," says Kamel Chaouche, Head of Global Medical Affairs, Prescription, Galderma.

"Don't let past experiences hold you back, make an appointment with your family physician and discuss how your rosacea affects you and ask to see a dermatologist," says Dr. Melinda Gooderham, Medical Director at the SKiN Centre for Dermatology, Peterborough, Ontario. "Great consultations start when you as the patient come to the visit with a list of signs, symptoms and triggers that bother you and what treatments you've tried before that have or haven't worked. With this information, we can really customize your treatment plan to you and only you and ultimately help you break the cycle of rosacea."

Visit www.faceuptorosacea.com to create and download your personalized appointment guide to take to your next family physician appointment and dermatology referral.  

References:
1.	National Rosacea Society 2018. New Study Finds 415 Million People May Suffer from Rosacea Worldwide. Available at: https://www.rosacea.org/press/2018/july/new-study-finds-415-million-people-may-suffer-from-rosacea-worldwide. Last accessed: October 2019.
2.	Rosacea: Beyond the visible online report. Available at: http://hosted.bmj.com/rosaceabeyondthevisible. Last accessed: October 2019.

 

About Rosacea
Rosacea is a common inflammatory skin disease that presents variable clinical characteristics, of which the most common are flushing, persistent erythema, and inflammatory lesions. It mainly affects the central areas of the face, such as the cheeks and nose. The disease can affect both adult men and women, usually after the age of 30. Additionally, symptoms such as stinging, burning and increased sensitivity of the skin are common. The eyes are often affected, and might present as red, dry or itchy.

Although the cause of the disease is still under debate, various trigger factors are known, including spicy foods, alcohol, emotional stress, sun/UV-exposure, hot baths and hot beverages. Demodex, generally harmless mites, can also be found in the skin in an elevated quantity in people with rosacea.

Rosacea may worsen over time if left untreated. People that suspect they suffer from rosacea should visit their dermatologist or healthcare provider for diagnosis and discuss what treatment is right for them. Because rosacea is a highly visible disease, it is known to cause embarrassment and anxiety in some patients, which in turn may cause frustration and have a negative impact on their social life.

About Face up to rosacea

Face up to rosacea is an awareness campaign, launched in Canada in October 2019 by Galderma. The campaign aims to close the communication gap between people with rosacea and physicians. By encouraging meaningful conversations between the two parties, rosacea sufferers will become increasingly aware of the advancement of treatment options now available from their healthcare practitioners to help them break free from the negative cycle of rosacea.

About Galderma
Galderma, the world's largest independent global dermatology company, was created in 1981 and is now present in over 100 countries with an extensive product portfolio to treat a range of dermatological conditions. The company partners with health care practitioners around the world to meet the skin health needs of people throughout their lifetime. Galderma is a leader in research and development of scientifically defined and medically proven innovative solutions for the skin. For more information, please visit www.galderma.com.

SOURCE Galderma Canada

Galderma media relations contact: Sandy Caetano, Cohn & Wolfe, 647-259-3288, [email protected]