A Statistical analysis of Acne Patients who Visited University Hospitals Recently / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Many patients with acne have little information about its cause, course, and treatment although it is one of the most common skin diseases seen at hospitals. OBJECTIVE: We would like to find out what acne patients think about the etiology of acne, what factors affect its course their treatment methods before going to hospital, and the psychological impact of acne. METHODS: We classified the clinical levels of acne patients who visited seven university hospitals for the first time. We distributed questionnaires to them and analysed the results statistically. RESULTS: 1) Patients were classified,according to their level of clinical severity mild type(45.0%), moderate type(46.2%), and seuere type(8.8%). 2) The mean age at onset was 15.7 in males and 16.7 in females. 3) 69.3% of patients experienced that psychological stress had aggravated acne. 4) 42.8% of patients experienced that certain foods had aggravated acne. 5) 66.8% of female patients experienced aggravation of acne after starting to wear make-up. 6) 25.1% of female patients complained of a flare-up 1-7 days premenstrually. CONCLUSION: Acne is affected by many different factors, but there seems to be an especially close relationship between acne and the psychological factors which influence social life.