Association of homelessness and skin conditions: a Danish population-based cohort study.

This article examines the association between homelessness and diagnosed skin conditions using Danish nationwide register data from 1999 to 2018. It found that individuals experiencing homelessness, identified by homeless shelter contacts, had more than twice the incidence rate of most skin disorders compared to the general population, with particularly elevated diagnoses in emergency room and nondermatological consultations. Conversely, homelessness was associated with a lower incidence of diagnosed skin neoplasms, including malignant melanoma and keratinocyte cancer. The study highlights that the risk of skin conditions increases with the number of homeless shelter contacts, especially within the first year, and that people experiencing homelessness receive less specialized dermatological care but more emergency treatment. These findings suggest the period following first homeless shelter contact is a critical opportunity for targeted interventions to improve skin health in this vulnerable population.