Dr Esther Freeman, an American dermatologist, epidemiologist and associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, says climate-health preparedness should include skin health. Her call follows a new study reporting that more than 40% of countries worldwide have documented climate-related changes in the prevalence and/or severity of skin disease.
The study, a collaboration between the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, invited representatives from 194 World Health Organisation (WHO) member countries to participate in the Global Access to Skin Health Observatory (SkinObservatory) study.
Researchers collected data from 136 countries spanning all four World Bank income groups.
Justine Liebenberg 11 Sep 2025 Findings
Overall, 42.6% reported changes in the prevalence and/or severity of skin disease due to climate change, with significant differences according to income level.
More than half of low-income (55.6%) and lower-middle-income countries (52.5%) reported climate-related changes in skin disease, compared with 43.8% of upper-middle-income countries and 28.3% of high-income countries.
Geographical differences were also substantial. Changes were most frequently reported in the Western Pacific Region (64.7%), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asian regions (60% each), compared with 16.1% in the European Region.
In Africa, 42.9% of respondents were unsure about climate change’s impact on skin disease, highlighting potential gaps in surveillance and evidence.
Among the 58 countries reporting climate-associated effects on skin disease, 81.0% reported increases in heat rashes and 75.9% in inflammatory skin diseases.
Infectious diseases were reported in 62.1%, with half (50.0%) reporting changes in vector-borne diseases.
Negative impacts
According to Freeman, who authored the study, the most important finding is that climate change is already associated with negative impacts on skin disease, and these effects disproportionately burden lower-income settings.
“We often think about the effects of extreme weather on heatstroke, cardiovascular problems and respiratory diseases, but the skin is our front line to climate change.”
“Higher temperatures and humidity can increase sweating and skin irritation, while heat, air pollution and other environmental exposures may trigger or worsen inflammation.
“Shifts in temperature and rainfall can also affect the habitats of mosquitoes, ticks and other disease vectors, potentially allowing them to survive in places where they were previously uncommon.”
The researchers are now calling for stronger surveillance, education and locally tailored strategies, particularly in resource-limited settings, to address this already significant impact.
