The Association Between Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure and Post-Adolescent Acne: The Evidence from a Time Series Analysis in Xi’an, China

Abstract

Background Post-adolescent acne is a common skin disease faced by adults. However, whether air pollution (AP) serves as a risk factor for post-adolescent acne remains elusive. Aim To determine the relationship between short-term AP exposure (within 7 days) and outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne. Methods Daily outpatient visit data for post-adolescent acne and routinely AP data between 2010 and 2013 were collected from Xi’an, China. A generalized additive regression model was used to analyze the relationship between outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne and short-term ambient AP exposure. The gender-specific analyses were conducted as well. Results Totally, 27,190 outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne were included. The results revealed that a 10 μg/m 3 increase in PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 at lag 0–7 day was associated with the increase of outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne at 0.84% (95% CI: 0.53%, 1.16%), 1.61% (95% CI: 0.12%, 3.10%), and 3.50% (95% CI: 1.60%, 5.40%), respectively. The significant positive associations of PM 10 , SO 2 , and NO 2 were found at both single-lag models and moving average models. The gender-specific analyses showed that the effect estimates of PM 10 was stronger for females than for males, while there was no observed gender difference in the effects of SO 2 and NO 2 . Conclusion Short-term exposure to AP was associated with increased outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne, especially for females in the effects of PM 10 .

Exploring the role of anthropogenic air pollutants in the pathogenesis of acne

“…At the same time, women were more sensitive to the effects of PM10 than men. However, there was no difference in the effects of SO2 and NO2 in either gender [4].…”

Exploring Acne Treatments: From Pathophysiological Mechanisms to Emerging Therapies

“…Dietary habits, particularly the consumption of high-glycemic-index foods and dairy products, have been linked to acne severity, possibly due to their role in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling, which can exacerbate sebum production and inflammation [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. Climate factors, such as humidity and temperature, can affect skin hydration and sebum production, while air pollutants such as NO2 and sulfur dioxide can increase the oxidative stress on the skin, contributing to acne flares [44,45]. Increased humidity cause epidermal keratinocyte Genetics plays a crucial role in acne development, with studies indicating a higher prevalence of acne in individuals with a family history of the condition [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

Climate change, the cutaneous microbiome and skin disease: implications for a warming world

“…Air pollution such as particulate matter, NO 2 , and sulfur dioxide have also been shown to positively correlate with flares of acne. Specifically, a Chinese study determined that short‐term increases in the particulate matter did correlate with more outpatient visits for post‐adolescent acne 40 . As mentioned above, PAHs, a subgroup of particulate matter, have been shown to alter the microbial metabolism, though how this may influence acne flares remains undefined.…”

“…aureus 19,23 ↑ UV-R = ↓ microbes 13,19 ? ↓ release of antioxidant molecules 48,50 Air pollution effects on disease prevalence ↑ Air pollution = ↓ prev 34 ↑Air pollution = ↑ prev 40 NDF ↑Air pollution = ↑prev 50 Air pollution effects on disease-relevant skin microbiome ↑ NO 2 = ↑ S. aureus (NO 2 -resistant) 30 NDF NDF ↑PAHs = ↑ carcinogenic microbial metabolism byproducts 28 NDF = no data found to demonstrate correlation between climate change factor and disease prevalence or changes in skin microbiome; prev = prevalence. a conflicting data found in literature review.…”

“…Specifically, a Chinese study determined that short-term increases in the particulate matter did correlate with more outpatient visits for post-adolescent acne. 40 As mentioned above, PAHs, a subgroup of particulate matter, have been shown to alter the microbial metabolism, though how this may influence acne flares remains undefined. Further studies specifically evaluating how temperature, humidity, UV-R, and air pollution alter the cutaneous microbiome and affect the prevalence and severity of acne are warranted to better understand these connections.…”