The Retired Investor: Billion-Dollar Saga of the Skin Trade

The dermatology sector in health care is expected to grow by almost 7 percent per year between now and 2034. That is good news, but the increasing incidences and prevalence of skin disorders are behind the industry's torrid growth rate.

 

The global market was estimated to top $1.4 billion last year, with North America being the fastest-growing market, followed by the Asia-Pacific. Skin cancer, warts, infections, dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne are among the primary disorders treated using a variety of therapeutic strategies, including cryosurgery, laser therapy, photodynamic therapy, radiation, and vitiligo therapies.

 

Over the past decade, like many other health-care areas, acquisition and investment activity in dermatology has skyrocketed, fueled by private equity, family offices, and institutional investors.

 

I am practically an expert in the area, given the number of times I have been scraped, cut, fried, and zapped over the last several years. As I wait for yet another biopsy on two spots, one on the crown of my head and the other on my forehead, I wonder how come I have all these unrelenting skin treatments when my parents had none, so I did a little research on the subject.

 

Each year in the U.S., an estimated 6.1 million people are treated for skin cancer, and that number is growing. With names such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, the most common forms are usually treatable. Most of these maladies are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and indoor tanning devices.

 

We know that the thinning of the ozone layer, where 90 percent of the earth's ozone sits between six and 31 miles above the surface, is partially responsible. This allows harmful ultraviolet rays (UVA) to penetrate the earth's surface and damage the middle layer of our skin. Unfortunately, it was only in the late 1970s that people realized that man-made chemicals, specifically chlorofluorocarbons, were destroying the ozone.

 

As a Baby Boomer, I recall the 1950s at Barnegat Bay on the Jersey Shore with my family. That's when suntan lotion became "a thing." We kids had to slop Coppertone on, although my parents rarely used it. It did little good anyway since I still managed to get a glowing red sunburn that ended in my peeling away large sections of white dead skin weeks later.

 

Reflecting on the past, I realized that basting in the sun only gained popularity in the late 1950s, at least in this country. It was then that the modern bikini became the rage for American women, shortly after Brigitte Bardot modeled a floral version on the beach at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953.

 

Before that, having a summer tan was the mark of a lower-class individual or an outside day laborer, while pale skin signified anything but. Having a tan became high on everyone's agenda. A tan was healthy, sexy and signified someone on the move.

 

I also recall that every male in America wore a hat of some kind while I was in grammar school. It was only after John F. Kennedy first appeared bareheaded at his 1961 inauguration that wardrobes began to change. He is credited with the death of the men's hat as males of all ages gladly exposed their scalps to the rays of the sun in perpetuity.  

 

The point is that, in general, people wore far more clothes back then than we do both summer and winter. Next week, I will expand on this combination of culture, science and events that conspired to create today's epidemic of skin cancer.

 

Bill Schmick is the founding partner of Onota Partners, Inc., in the Berkshires. His forecasts and opinions are purely his own and do not necessarily represent the views of Onota Partners Inc. (OPI). None of his commentary is or should be considered investment advice. Direct your inquiries to Bill at 1-413-347-2401 or email him at bill@schmicksretiredinvestor.com.