Get Involved

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. Darier's Disease. Lichen Planus. Heard of them? Chances are, the answer is no, and neither have a lot of people in the UK.This is why we need your help. No one knows better than you do how your skin disease affects your life. It is one of the most powerful ways to raise awareness of skin illnesses in the media. Here’s a quick guide to what’s involved and what to do to become a case study.
 
Why should I help?
There is still a lot the general public don’t know about skin diseases and a lot of misconceptions about them. The British Skin Foundation does what it can to raise awareness about all types of skin disease, including some that you may have never heard of before. We need people who are willing to talk to the media about how skin disease has impacted their lives and why more research is needed into finding cures and treatments. 
 
What do I need to do?
It’s fairly straightforward – In most cases you will be talking to a regional newspaper or radio station about your condition, as they will often only run a story if it has a local angle to it. You may even talk to a national paper or magazine. It really isn’t as scary as you think and quite satisfying when you see your name in print! 
 
Can I not be in the media but help in other ways?
Absolutely, we also need people to feature as case studies in our publications like the BSF information booklet and marketing materials. Without the kind contribution of our case studies, getting across to the public why we do what we do would be much harder.

  

I don’t want people to know about me, is this a problem?
Not at all, you can choose to remain anonymous. We will change your name and details to protect your identity and won’t pass your contact details to anyone without asking you first.
 
I don’t have a skin condition but am affected by someone who is, is that still ok?
Clearly you don’t have to have a skin condition to be affected. The most common effects include loss of sleep, stress and worry, time off work or school, even having to help someone with the treatments. Please do get in touch as well, especially if you are a carer of someone with a skin disease. We'd be really interested in hearing how it has affected you both financially and emotionally.
 
So what do I do now?
Get in touch with our press team by email or call 0207 391 6347.  We need you to complete a short form that takes no more than five minutes to fill in, just so that we have on record that you are happy to be contacted regarding the British Skin Foundation’s media work. Alternatively you can download a copy of the BSF consent form to the right and post it or email it back to us.