Knowledge, Belief, and Perception among Youths with Acne Vulgaris

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is one of the commonest dermatological challenges faced by the youth. It lasts several years, running a chronic course with complications such as scarring. The fact that this occurs most commonly on the face, leads to profound psychological implications, that cause emotional trauma and affect a person's quality of life. Anxiety and depression are common issues arising from this. A lot of myths tend to float around acne in society, and people use all kinds of indigenous and home made remedies, as well as the wrong kinds of treatment, such as topical steroid based creams, which further worsen the situation. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the awareness levels amongst youths, to understand the various beliefs and perceptions related to acne, so that we may be able to tackle this condition better. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study in 150 patients with acne vulgaris attending the Dermatology Out Patient Department from May 2017 to June 2018. RESULTS: Amongst other findings, we found that a majority of people in our study believed stress and hormones to be the major aggravating factors. Most patients preferred treatment options like healthy lifestyle and cleansers and toners in our study. Amongst the treatment options, clindamycin was more commonly used than benzoyl peroxide followed by retinoids. CONCLUSION: There are several misconceptions and a gross lack of knowledge about acne amongst our younger population, that needs to be addressed.