King's College London

Academic Institute

OFHS250137

Skin conditions are common and can profoundly affect people’s health and daily lives. Most are caused by a mix of our genes (what we inherit) and our environment (things around us and aspects of everyday living). But for most skin conditions, we still don’t know which of these factors matter most, why some people are affected more severely than others, or how ethnicity and background play a role. This study aims to better understand which genes and environmental factors are important, and how they work together in the development and severity of skin conditions. The size and diversity of the Our Future Health dataset means we can study a wider range of conditions, in people with more varied ethnic backgrounds, than ever before. We will use advanced analysis to answer questions that matter to people living with skin conditions: - Why do some people’s symptoms become very severe? - Which treatments or changes in daily routines improve symptoms? - Why do some people with skin conditions develop other health problems? By looking at how different factors interact, and using genetic techniques to separate causes from consequences, this study will support the development of new drugs, and recommendations for better care. Skin conditions affect nearly a third of the global population. Several common skin conditions have been researched in depth. But there are still open questions about what factors make people more likely to get these conditions, and how best to prevent or treat them. We know much less about the genetic factors (what we inherit via our DNA) and features of our environment that cause rarer skin conditions, or make some people’s symptoms very severe. We expect the findings of our study to help: • Establish new links between aspects of everyday life and the likelihood of getting specific skin conditions • Identify which parts of our DNA affect specific skin conditions • Better understand how already-known genetic factors actually cause skin conditions, and whether they might be targeted by medicines • Assess how genetic, lifestyle and other types of data might be used together to predict how individual people could be impacted by skin conditions and help dermatologists and primary care doctors best treat them. By publishing and making our results widely available, we will support the work of many other lab scientists and data scientists working on skin biology and disease.

Collectively, skin conditions are common. They represent a substantial burden for patients. They can be painful or disfiguring, and some are associated with lower life expectancy. They can impact quality of life and mental health, and many patients pay out-of-pocket for creams, lotions and medications. For many skin conditions, doctors currently take a trial-and-error approach to find treatments that will help each patient. While some medicines are life-changing, they usually don’t cure the condition and need to be taken for many years to control symptoms. For other skin conditions, researchers have not yet found many good treatment options. Doctors are also unable to advise patients with skin conditions whether they are likely to experience worsening symptoms or develop additional health problems. By identifying factors associated with a wide range of skin conditions across different ethnic groups, we will provide evidence that will help to address these challenges. For example, our results relating to genetic factors may help scientists and drug companies develop new medicines for understudied skin conditions. We also aim to create and test ‘risk scores’ that dermatologists could calculate for individual patients to help them make effective treatment decisions.

Public Health Research

07/08/2026

26/01/2026

TRE