Acne is a disease that not only affects the skin, but can deeply impact the psychological well-being of an individual.  

The weight of acne

The patient’s quality of life with acne is often diminished. Adolescents suffering from acne can be particularly affected. Boys with acne tend to display significantly lower self-attitude, whereas girls will exhibit poor self-worth when compared to their peers without acne.

As the severity of acne increases in an adolescent, the incident of social impairment for the child also increases. A recent study performed by the University of Brest, Laboratory of Skin Neurobiology, linked severe acne in adolescents to poor performance at school, low attachment to friends and limited experience with romantic relationships.

While limited data are available as to the burden of acne in an adult female patient, a recent survey of 208 adult females with facial acne determined that acne negatively affected quality of life, was associated with symptoms of anxiety or depression and impacted the woman’s ability to concentrate on work or school. Thus, acne proves to be a significant burden for males and females, young and old, and attention should be paid not only to alleviating the physical symptoms of acne, but also the negative psychological impact it can create.