In their quest to promote the Malaysian Skin Foundation (MSF) and spread awareness of the severity of skin diseases among the general public, two health talk sessions were organised by the Group 1 of UTAR Public Relations Corporate Social Responsibility (PR CSR) Project 2023, “DermaHope”, on 17 April 2023 at UTAR Heritage Building and U-Liang Library, Kampung Baru Sungai Durian, Tanjung Tualang respectively.

The main purposes of the talks were to increase awareness about skin diseases among UTAR communities and residents of Kampung Baru Sungai Durian as well as promote MSF to a wider community.

The health talk sessions, titled “DermaHope Talk: Common Skin Diseases and Care”, had a morning session (UTAR Heritage Hall) as well as an afternoon session (U-Liang Library). DermaHope invited Dr Leong Wei Cheng, a professional dermatologist, to shed some light on the topic of skin diseases. The talks were conducted in English and Cantonese respectively.

During the talks, Dr Leong gave concise explanations on the common skin diseases in Malaysia such as eczema, psoriasis and acne vulgaris. She enlightened the audience on the clinical features and care management of various skin diseases. Moreover, Dr Leong also took the opportunity to clarify that not many skin diseases are contagious, debunking the “most skin diseases are contagious” stereotype.

One of the members of DermaHope, Aqila Alya binti Syamrin was happy to learn new things about skin, saying, “I am shocked to know that we can have clear skin just by practising basic skincare. I always have a perception that the more skincare you apply, the better the result. Besides, it was mind-blowing to learn that many factors lead to allergic contact dermatitis. I loved the humorous presentation by Dr Leong, like how she explained the stages of eczema using people with different outfits to showcase the colours of acute, subacute and chronic eczema.”

The talks ended with Q&A sessions. Both sessions saw interactive exchanges about skin diseases between Dr Leong and the audience. The insightful talks received positive feedback from the communities as they were able to ask questions directly to a professional dermatologist and also learn new knowledge regarding common skin diseases in Malaysia.

About DermaHope

DermaHope is a project by the Group 1 of UTAR Public Relations Corporate Social Responsibility (PR CSR) Project 2023. The group is guided by UTAR PR CSR Project 2023 Project Advisor Diong Fong Wei. DermaHope is formed by 32 PR students who are passionate to promote the Malaysian Skin Foundation (MSF) and highlight the issues of unmet healthcare and sociological needs of individuals who suffer from skin diseases.

About Malaysian Skin Foundation (MSF)

Malaysian Skin Foundation (MSF) is a non-profit organisation founded by a group of concerned dermatologists with the intention to raise the standard of care for patients suffering from skin diseases. It was officially incorporated on 7 April 2022 upon approval from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister under section 45(3) Companies Act 2016. Being a nascent organisation, the immediate task is to introduce the foundation to the general public and raise awareness of the negative psychosocial impact of skin diseases on affected individuals by establishing a subsidy programme to improve treatment access. This initiative, therefore, will be heavily dependent on public funding to function and continue.