Prevalence of adult female acne in Colombia: A population-based study

BACKGROUND: Acne is a common inflammatory skin disease with adolescents being the most affected by this condition; however, acne also occurs frequently in the adult population. Adult acne is defined as late-onset acne or acne that persists beyond age 25 years. In terms of epidemiologic data, reports of adult female acne prevalence range from 5.5% to 61.5% around the world. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and trace the trend of adult female acne in Colombia over the last 5 years. METHODS: Using nationwide data from the General System of Social Security and Health in Colombia through the Sistema Integrado de Información de la Protección Social database and International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, diagnostic codes, a cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of adult female acne in outpatients in Colombia from 2015 to 2019. RESULTS: For the 5-year study period, overall acne prevalence was 2.14 per 1000 population. The highest annual prevalence (2.94 per 1000 population) was in 2019 and the lowest prevalence (1.71 per 1000 population) was in 2015. Prevalence peaked in patients age 25 to 29 years, and decreased to <1 per 1000 population in those age <50 years. CONCLUSION: This nationwide study of adult female acne in Colombia suggests an increasing trend in prevalence over the last 5 years. We recommend further studies to determine risk factors involved in this condition.