UCB Launches Wear It Out Campaign to Raise Awareness of HS, Psoriasis, and Psoriatic Arthritis

UCB has launched Wear It Out, a patient-centered awareness initiative designed to address stigma and highlight the everyday challenges experienced by people living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), plaque psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Announced October 13, the program was developed in collaboration with patient advocates and Brooklyn-based illustrator and graphic designer Sophia Yeshi. It features custom-designed T-shirts inspired by patients' experiences, using clothing as a vehicle for conversations about chronic inflammatory diseases and their effects on daily life.

According to UCB, approximately 2.5 million Americans live with HS, while an estimated 11.3 million live with psoriasis or PsA. Although these conditions have distinct clinical manifestations, they can share a profound impact on quality of life, including decisions about clothing, social interactions, and self-expression.

For patients with HS, drainage from lesions may make white clothing undesirable, while individuals with psoriasis may avoid black clothing because of visible skin flaking. Patients with PsA may experience joint pain and stiffness that complicate everyday activities such as fastening buttons or getting dressed.

"Getting dressed should not be a strategic decision, and feeling comfortable in your own body should never feel out of reach," said Brittany Blair, head of patient strategy, U.S. Immunology, UCB, in the company's announcement.

Addressing the Burden Beyond the Skin

During a press event titled "Beyond the Surface," patient advocates and clinicians discussed how stigma, delayed diagnosis, and misunderstanding can compound the physical burden of HS.

Jennifer Hsiao, MD, emphasized the importance of creating clinical environments in which patients feel heard and supported.

"One other thing that clinicians do just need to say outright is the fact that HS is not the patient's fault, and that we as the clinician truly believe that," Dr. Hsiao said.

She noted that patients frequently encounter misconceptions about the relationship between HS and lifestyle factors, including suggestions that weight loss or smoking cessation alone would eliminate the disease.

"HS can affect anyone of any background, of any body size, smoker or non-smoker," Dr. Hsiao said.

She also emphasized the importance of recognizing potential HS symptoms earlier, particularly recurrent ingrown hairs, pimple-like lesions, and boil-like abscesses, to reduce diagnostic delays and repeated courses of treatment that do not adequately address the underlying disease.

For PreShus Lee, a patient advocate who participated in the discussion, the impact of HS extends well beyond physical symptoms.

"I wish people really understood that HS is more than just skin deep. It's mental, it's physical, it's spiritual sometimes," she said.

Lee recalled attending high school in a uniform that required a white shirt, which could reveal drainage from lesions beneath her arms. She routinely wore a sweater regardless of the temperature to conceal her symptoms.

She also described how the disease affected her education, career aspirations, and confidence, underscoring the importance of self-advocacy and access to knowledgeable clinicians.

Community Connections and Patient Advocacy

Also at the press event, Jasmine Espy, founder and CEO of the Association for Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Inflammatory Diseases, discussed the persistent psychological burden of HS and the importance of community support.

"HS is on my mind from the time that I get up to the time that I go to sleep," Espy said, explaining that the condition influences decisions about clothing, food, seating, energy levels, and social interactions.

Espy emphasized that improving patients' lives requires more than clinical treatment alone. Through community events and patient advocacy programs, she has witnessed individuals regain confidence and develop supportive relationships even while continuing to navigate treatment challenges.

"Community sometimes can be the bridge to a better life even while you're still on the journey of trying to figure out, OK, what does my care really look like?" she said.

Dr. Hsiao encouraged patients to seek clinicians experienced in managing HS and highlighted the HS Foundation's clinic finder as a resource for identifying specialized care.

She also pointed to support organizations that provide resources for caregivers and adolescents, recognizing that the burden of chronic inflammatory disease frequently extends to family members.

Turning Patient Experiences Into Wearable Art

The Wear It Out campaign translates these experiences into custom artwork that reflects identity, resilience, and community connection.

Yeshi, who moderated the press discussion, said her objective was to create designs that acknowledged patients' experiences without defining them solely by their diagnoses.

"We were designing clothes, but the conversations that we were having were much more than just a T-shirt," she said. "I was thinking about confidence, identity, progress, possibility, and presenting someone or representing someone's experience without just reducing them to their condition."

The initiative also seeks to encourage conversations about challenges that may otherwise remain invisible to friends, colleagues, and healthcare professionals.

For Lee, creative expression has been an important part of reclaiming her identity beyond HS.

"You may have HS, but HS does not have you," she said. "You are a whole person. Your life is full of love and abundance and joy, and it's worth living."

Individuals living with HS, plaque psoriasis, or PsA can visit GoWearItOut.com to share their stories through audio or video submissions, access educational resources, and receive a condition-conscious T-shirt.

The program builds on UCB's existing patient education and community engagement efforts, including its Make History HS awareness campaign and patient summits.

Beyond the artwork itself, the initiative sends a broader message for dermatology clinicians: effective management of chronic inflammatory skin diseases involves recognizing not only physical symptoms but also the social, emotional, and practical challenges that shape patients' everyday lives.