GlobalSkin, also known as the International Alliance of Dermatology Patient Organisations, has launched a pioneering new research study to explore the impact of skin diseases. 

Patients with alopecia, of all types, are invited to participate in ground-breaking research that is being conducted by GlobalSkin in collaboration with researchers at Cardiff University and University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf. 

The Global Research on the Impact of Dermatological Diseases (GRIDD) project aims to collect global data on the impact of dermatological conditions on patients' lives. To collect this impact data, a new data measure has been created - the Patient-Reported Impact of Dermatological Diseases (PRIDD). This new measure is a scientifically sound questionnaire capable of measuring the impact of conditions of the skin, hair and nails from the patient's perspective. As a Member of GlobalSkin, Alopecia UK is supportive of this important project. 

People with alopecia are the experts and our opinion matters! By participating, you will be helping to show clinicians, researchers, and policymakers the true impact of living with your dermatological condition. The data collected will help to inform areas of need for improved care, better treatment options, and more affordable medicine for dermatology patients globally. 

GlobalSkin is looking for 10,000 people like you to take part in the study by completing a 10-20 minute online survey. You may be asked to complete a shorter version of the survey six weeks after you complete the first one to assist in scientifically validating the new measure. 

To take part in the research you will need to:

- Have a dermatological condition (including any type of alopecia)

- Be aged 18 or over

- Understand and read one of these 17 languages to a level sufficient to complete the survey independently: English, Arabic, Bengali, Simplified Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, or Vietnamese. 

To participate in this important research, please follow this link. Please note, this will take you to a consent form which you will need to complete and you will then be emailed a link to the study - be sure to check your junk folders as the automated email may end up there!

Most types of alopecia are listed in the dropdown list in the survey. If you cannot find yours, please select 'Other' and you can add details. Also, when completing the survey, please recognise that it has been designed to try and accommodate patients of over 3,000 skin diseases worldwide. When reading 'your skin disease' or 'your skin', think 'your alopecia'. 

The online survey is open from 5th June to 28th September 2023. 

This research has received the required ethical approval from Cardiff University. For more information about GRIDD or GlobalSkin please follow this link.