National Skin Day 2017 is an event to raise awareness, create understanding as well as knowledge sharing on common skin diseases with the public. It was created by the Malaysian Dermatological Society (Persatuan Dermatologi Malaysia) in conjunction with Ichthyosis Awareness Month, and hence, May is our month of choice. This project is also a part of University Putra Malaysia continuous commitment to increase the public awareness of diseases in Malaysia, and to expose the students to volunteerism. This is our biggest fundraising project, organized by Putra Medical Club (PMC), a medical student body in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and two other universities namely, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). The project is under the auspices of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and the International Society of Dermatology (ISD).

Our main objective is to banish stigmatization of patients with skin disorders like Ichthyosis and Epidermolysis Bullosa. These skin disorders are due to genetic malfunction. These patients live in isolation with low self-esteem due to their disfiguring skin condition and negative public perception that these conditions are infectious. Due to their appearances, majority of patients with these diseases are unable to get any education or secure jobs. The affected children are our highest concern as it is absolute imperative that they can attend schools. It is their (and our) hopes and dreams that Malaysians are able to accept them as part of the society that can contribute to the country’s development. Therefore, the awareness of the diseases (in a positive light) is important. There are other skin disorders that are "hidden" but patients suffer greatly like Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Up to 7% of our Malaysian population suffer from psoriasis which is a common skin condition. The public may learn more about these skin problems here, at our National Skin Day 2017.

Our second objective is to increase the awareness of common skin disease like psoriasis and eczema, and the need to see a skin doctor or dermatologist for correct diagnosis and treatment.

Our third objective is to educate the public on the importance of looking after their skin and to inform the youths about getting their acne treated early by dermatologists before the development of unwanted scars. There will be a free ‘Acne and Teenager’s Skin Consultation” booth attended by our trained dermatologists, which is expected to be popular on that day. There will be skin health exhibition booths and sponsored booths whereby participants can learn more about common skin diseases and bring home quality skin products. On this day, there will be many skin-related support groups walking together and having fun with the public at the costume charity walk which starts at 7 am. There are prizes to be won for the most creative costumes. The prize-giving ceremony is at 9.30 am which will be attended by our invited celebrities. There will be two short speeches by the chairperson of program and the president of Dermatological Society of Malaysia prior to the prize-giving ceremony.

Details of the program:

Name of program: National Skin Day 2017
Date: 14 May 2017, Sunday
Theme: Celebrate the Diversity of our Skin
Venue: Setia City Park, Shah Alam
Time: 6.30 am- 4 pm (Charity walk starts at 7 am)
Facebook: National Skin Day 2017
Email: nationalskinday2017@gmail.com

The program:

6.30 AM Registration starts
7.00 AM Warming-up in front of stage
7.30 AM Charity walk starts (3 KM)
9.00 AM Charity walk ends
Speeches by chairperson and president of Dermatological Society of Malaysia who will officiate the program
9.30 AM Prize giving ceremony by our invited celebrity to 10 coolest superhero attires and 10 lucky draws
10.00 AM End of charity walk ceremony

Whole day event from 8.00 AM – 4.00 PM : Acne and Teenagers’ Skin Consultation Booth, Skin Health Exhibition and Sponsors Booth

To take part in the charity walk and our skin consultation program, participants need to register and pay RM10 per person as a donation. Please make the payment to

SSJ Niaga Maybank account 5128-0250-9634

and send the participants name, email address, handphone and proof of payment to our email at nationalskinday2017@gmail.com. You may register and pay on the day itself, but you may have to queue up and cause a delay in your charity walk. You need to collect your wristband at the registration table upon arrival. You may donate in multiples of RM10, and each RM10 will receive an extra lucky draw card. Please note that there is a limit of number of participants, so please register early to avoid disappointment.

Part of the registration fees will be donated to the participating support groups. The participating NGOs and support groups are Pertubuhan Kebajikan Pesakit Ichthyosis Malaysia (PEKIM), Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association (DEBRA), Psoriasis Association Malaysia, Hidradenitis Suppurativa Support Group Malaysia, and Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Albinism Association. Our 200 university students and volunteers will be there to organize and manage the crowd. We are expecting more than 1000 participants and spectators. Don’t forget to wear your coolest superhero attire to the charity walk, be it a mask, a hat or a nice superhero t-shirt.

We are inviting 20 secondary schools in Shah Alam to send 10 students per school to participate in the charity walk and skin consultation program for free. This is also part of our effort to increase acne awareness amongst secondary schoolchildren. There will be many Cosplay Superheroes to attract families and school children to the event.

Hope to see you there!

Prepared by
Dr Kartini Farah Rahim
Chairperson
National Skin Day 2017