Skin Health as a Source of Dignity, Care, and Everyday Well-being
https://www.instagram.com/theskinwell_
The Skin Well Project (2023 - 2026)
The Skin Well was a small national advocacy project asking a simple but important question: what if skin were formally recognised as part of health in England?
The project explored gaps in public understanding of skin health, how skin is treated in healthcare and public messaging, and why many people are left to manage skin concerns without shared language or guidance.
The project has now reached its natural endpoint, but some of the ideas and reflections remain here for those who are interested. They helped inform the development of my current work, including The SkinChat Method, a skin literacy framework.
1. About the Project
The Skin Well began with a simple question:
Why isn’t skin included in national health conversations?
Skin reflects stress, sleep, air quality, hormones, age, and environment — yet it barely appears in public health guidance.
What started as twelve clinic leaflets became a wider exploration of that gap, and the four structural solutions that could close it:
→ Recognise skin in national health
→ Shape education accordingly
→ Regulate the sector
→ Protect professional titles
Not radical.
Just necessary.
And long overdue.
[Read the full story here →]
2. Executive Summary—The Skin Well Project:
A concise overview of the project’s purpose, priorities, and approach across public health, education, regulation, and professional identity.
[Read the Executive Summary →]
2a. Foundational Position Papers (Archive) Position papers developed during the 2023-24 consultation period.
- Skin is Health - A Framework for Change
- From Consultation to Coherence
3. What Affects Skin—Lifestyle and Environment:
Skin responds to lifestyle, environment, stress, and internal health — yet these influences are rarely acknowledged in national messaging.
The chart below summarises what is:
• supported in research
• emerging in studies
• consistently observed in clinic
These factors shape the everyday skin of millions.
Recognising them is one reason The Skin Well exists.
4. The Current Landscape: Licensing Skin Treatments in England
How does England regulate skin-facing treatments — and why does the system still fall short?
This briefing explains:
• where licensing laws came from
• why they vary between councils
• how the upcoming national scheme risks focusing only on invasive procedures
• what this means for the public and for practitioners
Three hundred councils.
Three hundred interpretations.
One organ at the centre.
It’s time to ask whether the system can do better.
[Read the full briefing →]
5. The Big 5 Questions About Regulation
Short reflections exploring the most common concerns about national skin regulation.
1. Should the Beauty Industry Be Medicalised?
Regulating a treatment doesn’t turn it into medicine.
It sets standards that protect the public while preserving professional identity.
🔗Read → Should the beauty industry be medicalised?
2. Can Regulation and Creativity Co-Exist?
Yes — just look at dentistry, aviation, cosmetic formulation.
Oversight doesn’t stifle innovation. It grounds it.
🔗Read → Can regulation and creativity co-exist?
3. What About Health and Safety — for Practitioners and the Public?
Two people can perform the same treatment — one regulated and vaccinated, the other not.
That gap affects safety for both practitioners and clients.
🔗Read → What about Health & Safety - for practitioners and the public?
4. Who Gets to Say They’re Not Part of the Industry?
If you work on skin for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons, you’re part of this sector.
A proper framework makes that something to be proud of.
→ Who gets to say they are not part of the industry?
5. Does Regulation Mean People Will Lose Their Jobs?
Standards don’t remove people — they support them.
Clear pathways bring everyone up together.
→ Does Regulation Mean People Will Lose Their Jobs?
6. The Litmus Test - Why It’s Time to Let Skin In
A simple test applied to NHS public health messaging reveals a striking gap:
skin, the body’s most visible organ, is absent.
7. The Four Phases of Work:
Phase One: Quiet Questions:
Scenarios and letters that introduce three core ideas, inviting people to consider how skin is treated in policy, education, and public health.
[Explore Phase 1 →]
Phase Two: Clear Proposals:
Structural solutions designed to close the recognised gaps — each grounded in public interest.
[Explore Phase 2 →]
Phase Three: Proving the Case:
A national call for evidence.
This phase invites researchers and policymakers to examine whether a national skin framework would deliver measurable public benefit.
[Explore Phase 3 →]
Phase Four: From Theory to Practice:
This phase does not exist yet.
If the evidence supports it, Phase 4 would explore how a national skin health structure could be introduced. The ideas are here.
What happens next depends on who carries them forward.
[Phase 4 →]
8. Related public record:
A UK Parliament petition submitted during this project period, formally acknowledging the absence of national guidance on everyday skin care and its status outside public-health messaging.
Disclaimer:
The Skin Well® provides educational content only. It is not medical advice and does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. Information shared here reflects current research, clinical observation, and public guidance where available, and is intended to support understanding - not to diagnose or treat individual concerns.
My written work is supported by intelligent writing tools that help refine language and improve clarity. All content is grounded in established skin science, professional experience, and human judgement.
© 2025 Jacqui de Jager | The Skin Well® & The Happy Skin Clinic®
All rights reserved. This leaflet is for personal use and education only. It may not be reproduced, distributed, or adapted without written permission.