Beyond the Surface: Redefining Dermatology Care

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Imagine being a mother juggling work and family while managing the discomfort of persistent scalp irritation. The first time someone suggests you might need medical attention isn’t in a clinic. It’s in your stylist’s chair.

Between work, family responsibilities and the uncertainty of navigating insurance and specialist appointments, seeing a dermatologist keeps falling lower on the list. It doesn’t feel urgent, just inconvenient.

Then your stylist notices something different. And because there is trust, there is a conversation. That moment — in a familiar chair, in a familiar space, is often where the journey to care begins.

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A black female is having her hair braided at a salon.

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This is a familiar moment drawn from real people we met in Houston and New Orleans. Their stories are familiar to many people with skin conditions, and examples of why we’re taking a community-based approach to dermatology care.

Skin is deeply personal. It carries identity, confidence and history. And skin conditions may be about more than what appears on the surface. Yet for many people, dermatology care remains out of reach, not because innovation doesn’t exist, but because access is complex.

Transportation challenges. Insurance requirements. Long wait times for specialists. Language differences. Limited awareness about when to seek care. Competing life priorities. These factors shape health journeys long before someone steps into a doctor’s office.

Scientific progress matters when it reaches the people who need it most. That belief drives our commitment to healthcare access in dermatology, and it’s the foundation of two interconnected efforts: the Community Skin Health Initiative and Sides of My SkinTM.

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Where Trust Already Lives

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The Community Skin Health Initiative starts with a simple insight: access to care doesn’t always begin in a clinic.

It often begins where trust already exists — in salons and barbershops, at church gatherings, on university campuses and in neighborhood spaces. These are places where people feel comfortable asking questions, sharing concerns and listening.

Through collaborations with universities, advocacy organizations, grassroots community groups and beauty professionals, Lilly sponsors programs that bring skin health education, non-diagnostic skin screenings and navigation support directly into communities.

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A group of people gathered outdoors around a table, sharing food and drinks during a casual backyard gathering with trees and houses in the background. One person stands near a grill while others hold glasses and plates, suggesting a relaxed social meal.

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The goal is not to replace clinical care, but to strengthen the pathway to it.

In just six months, these efforts have reached cities including Houston, New Orleans and Miami, and have:

• Engaged 23,000+ community members
• Identified 1,000+ people with potential skin conditions
• Connected 700+ people to health-related social resources

Behind every number is a person who may not have otherwise sought care — someone who may not have otherwise taken the first step.

Because awareness opens the door. Navigation helps people walk through it.

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Seeing the Whole Person

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Building on this foundation, we introduced Sides of My Skin, a call to look beyond symptoms and see the full context of each patient’s experience.

Every person has different “sides” of their skin that are shaped by biology, environment, identity and lived experience. These factors influence not only how a condition presents, but also how and when someone seeks care.

Too often, healthcare focuses narrowly on the clinical presentation. But skin health is intertwined with confidence, culture, stress, social support and access. When those dimensions are overlooked, care can feel incomplete.

Sides of My Skin encourages a broader view, helping equip healthcare professionals with perspectives and resources to better understand the real-world barriers their patients may face, while empowering people to advocate for care that reflects who they are.

Meaningful care begins with understanding the whole person, not just the condition.

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Expanding the Movement in 2026

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This year, we’re expanding the Community Skin Health Initiative, collaborating with additional community-rooted organizations in new cities to reach even more people facing systemic barriers to dermatology access.

The focus remains clear: deeper connections, stronger pathways, earlier recognition and creating confidence in seeking care.

There is power in community — to educate, to connect and to remove obstacles that stand between people and the care they deserve.

Care shouldn’t stop at the surface, and no one's story should be overlooked.

Learn more at sidesofmyskin.lilly.com.

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A Lilly bus wrapped with the SIDES OF MY Skin graphic

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