Acne is prevalent but use of its treatments is infrequent among adolescents from the general population

Abstract

Acne is very common among teenagers but very few have actually used treatments. These findings suggest that it may be worthwhile to better inform the community about acne and its treatment options to reduce acne severity and its impact on those affected.

Beliefs, perceptions, and treatment modalities of acne among schoolchildren in Lithuania: A cross‐sectional study

“…20 In our study, genetic factors, infection, and stress were less commonly indicated as causes of acne than in some other studies. Our findings indicating that girls used local acne treatment more often than boys concur with the findings of Nijsten et al 12 Our results confirm that the use of certified topical medications for acne is low. 4,8,11,19 Our results on perceptions of cosmetics as triggers of acne are similar to those obtained by Tan et al 19 However, girls in our study were more likely than boys to consider cosmetics as a cause of Figure 3 Beliefs about factors that cause or exacerbate acne according to the presence of acne (n = 934).…”

“…28,29 There is little evidence on the role of alcohol in the pathogenesis of acne, although Suh et al 30 found an associa-tion between alcohol consumption and acne exacerbation. 12,32 Our study confirms previous findings indicating that girls are more likely than boys to seek treatment for acne. 20 Some components of cosmetics can cause or exacerbate acne.…”

“…Sunlight is not usually described as a possible cause of acne but rather as being beneficial to acne sufferers. 12 Nevertheless, the use of acne treatments is often insufficient. 31 In the present study, hormones and diet were as frequently indicated as causes of acne as in other similar studies.…”

“…3,9 The majority of study participants think that the information they have about acne is insufficient or incorrect. 6,8,11,12 Furthermore, most of them delay in seeking adequate medical help or do not seek it at all. 6,8,11,12 Furthermore, most of them delay in seeking adequate medical help or do not seek it at all.…”

Treatment-Seeking Behaviors and Related Epidemiological Features in Korean Acne Patients

“…The present study was performed in seventeen university-based hospitals. Had this been a community-based study, we believe that a greater proportion of acne sufferers would have used non-medical treatments or done nothing, as it has been previously reported that only a minority of acne patients seek medical attention (3, 12, 13). In the present study, patients with experience of being treated in a hospital tended to less frequently adopt self-treatments like washing the face or self-extraction.…”