Factors Thought to Cause and Aggravate Acne Vulgaris as Perceived by Adolescent High School Students in an Urban City and the Effect of Acne on their Quality of Life

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common disorder of the pilosebaceous unit seen primarily in adolescents. There is still a paucity on understanding about acne. Although nonlife-threatening, acne has a significant impact on social, psychological, and emotional well-being. Materials and Methods: Ananalytical cross-sectional study was conducted among high school students using constructed, self-administered questionnaires adapted from previous studies. Results: Among 416 respondents, 340 (81.73%) have acne. Acne is not considered contagious which was believed by 154 (45.26%) students with acne and 28/76 (36.84%) of those without. Despite controversial findings, diet, hormones, genetics, emotional stress, lifestyle, menstruation, and cosmetics are thought to play roles in acne. Students believed lack of sleep, hormones, stress, oily/fatty foods, menstruation, cosmetics, sunlight, and poor hygiene aggravate acne. There were significant differences in responses of those with and without acne to food/diet and hormones ( P 0.000 and 0.006, respectively). There were also significant differences in the distribution of answers between those with and without acne on sweets ( P 0.002) and heat/sun exposure ( P 0.004). The students’ quality of life (QOL) assessed using teenagers’ QOL and Cardiff Acne Disability Index showed weak positive and statistically significant correlation between scores and acne severity indicating that as the severity of acne increases, the greater the impairment in their QOL. Conclusion: Beliefs and perceptions about acne play an important part in management and compliance. The results generally equate from evidence-based data. Few misconceptions may be brought by misleading information and different opinions. The physical, social, and psychological morbidity associated with acne can be profound and the QOL can be impaired.