The Hellenic Dermatological and Venereological Society is launching a major awareness campaign focused on autoimmune and inflammatory skin diseases — conditions that, while deeply familiar to the many patients who live with their debilitating symptoms every day, remain largely unknown to the general public.
These conditions represent a broad and significant category within dermatology, encompassing diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, alopecia areata, hidradenitis suppurativa, and others. Across all of these conditions, the severity of symptoms does not merely cause physical discomfort — it disrupts patients’ daily lives, takes a serious toll on their mental health, and ultimately diminishes their overall quality of life.
It is equally important to highlight that these diseases often give rise to discrimination and stigma against those affected — primarily due to public ignorance — frequently driving patients toward social isolation and, in many cases, depression. The need for public awareness, education, and sensitization is therefore clear, as is the urgent importance of destigmatizing these conditions.
Early diagnosis and systematic treatment, carried out in close collaboration with a dermatologist, can bring these conditions under control and offer patients a significantly better quality of life across all dimensions.
The campaign, which officially launched in mid-September, will run through mid-November — a timeframe deliberately chosen to encompass the World Days of two of the most prevalent conditions in this category: World Atopic Dermatitis Day (September 14) and World Psoriasis Day (October 29).
The campaign’s television spot — which feels more like a short film, marked by outstanding cinematic aesthetics and radiating freshness, youth, care, and above all, love — is being broadcast nationwide on television and will also be screened in cinema theatres. A radio spot is airing across FM frequencies, while the campaign’s visual artwork is rolling out across Athens and Thessaloniki, wrapping the backs of city buses. A digital and social media campaign will further extend the message to every corner of the country.
Lead Sponsor:
LA ROCHE-POSAY
Sponsors:
NOVARTIS and PHARMASERV – LILLY
Supporters:
GENESIS PHARMA, LEO and PHARMASERV HELLAS – GALDERMA
“Autoimmune and inflammatory skin diseases represent a critically important chapter in dermatology. The most significant among them include psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, alopecia areata, hidradenitis suppurativa, and several less common conditions such as cutaneous lupus erythematosus, localized scleroderma, and bullous dermatoses,” said Sotiris Theocharis, President of the Hellenic Dermatological and Venereological Society (HDVS).
He continued: “Autoimmune and inflammatory skin diseases not only cause skin rashes and intense symptoms such as itching, burning, and skin discomfort, but can also be accompanied by systemic manifestations, comorbidities, and serious psychosocial consequences — including anxiety disorders, depression, social isolation, and stigma. All of the above have a profoundly negative impact on patients’ personal, professional, and romantic lives, severely disrupting their daily routines and overall quality of life. Early diagnosis by a dermatologist, followed by the timely initiation of personalized treatment, can bring these conditions and their symptoms under control — providing significantly improved day-to-day functioning, better mental wellbeing, and an enhanced quality of life for those affected.”
The HDVS President concluded by emphasizing: “Modern therapies — such as biologic agents, JAK inhibitors, and others that are already available, as well as promising treatments on the horizon — are adding ever more powerful tools to dermatologists’ arsenal, enabling them to address these diseases with long-term, clearly superior outcomes and, above all, with safety. At the same time, through this campaign, we at the HDVS want to inform the public that these diseases are NOT contagious — and therefore, patients must NOT face discrimination or prejudice. This message is just as vital to the daily lives and quality of life of those living with these conditions.”
