The blemishes of modern society? Acne prevalence in the Dogon of Mali

Understanding the impact of acne vulgaris and associated psychological distress on self-esteem and quality of life via regression modeling with CADI, DLQI, and WHOQoL

Acne vulgaris (AV) is a psychosomatic disorder and can negatively affect individuals, especially in terms of psychological well-being, self-esteem, and quality of life (QoL). The current study aimed to investigate the association between AV and psychological health, as well as the influence of acne and psychological distress in predicting patients' self-esteem and QoL. This cross-sectional study included 150 patients clinically diagnosed with AV. The severity of acne was measured using GAGS, and following that, patients were instructed to complete the following forms: DASS-21, RSES, CADI, DLQI, and WHOQoL. Female AV patients had significantly higher depression (p = 0.003, t = 3.025) and anxiety (p < 0.001, t = 3.683). Pearson's correlation analysis indicated a strong, positive, and significant correlation between having acne and experiencing depression (r = 0.630), anxiety (r = 0.661), and stress (r = 0.758) (p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis suggested acne and associated psychological distress had a significant and negative impact on the patient's self-esteem and quality of life. This study highlights the multifaceted consequences of AV and the need to manage its psychological distress. It emphasizes the need for holistic patient care that addresses acne's physical and emotional aspects, with the ultimate goal of enhancing well-being and QoL.

Acne vulgaris: prevalence, severity, and impact on quality of life and self-esteem among Egyptian adolescents

Background

Acne vulgaris is the most common dermatoses affecting adolescents with significant impact on their quality of life (QoL). The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of acne, severity, and its impact on QoL and self-esteem among Egyptian adolescents.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 787 students were selected using multistage stratified random sampling from 12 secondary schools in Alexandria, Egypt. Data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire, and clinical examination was performed. Severity of acne and its impact on QoL and self-esteem were assessed using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI), and Coopersmith self-esteem scale, respectively.

Results

Prevalence of self-reported acne was 34.7%. Females significantly reported acne more frequently than males (39.1% vs. 30.3%, p = 0.009). Prevalence of clinically confirmed acne was 24.4%, with higher rates among females (28.6%) than males (20.2%, p = 0.006). The majority of students had mild acne (75.5%). CADI showed that 11.4% had severe disability. A significant medium positive correlation between GAGS and CADI was found (r = 0.338, p < 0.01). Among acne group, low self-esteem was more prevalent among females (67.0%) than males (45.0%, p = 0.004).

Conclusions

Acne is a common problem among Egyptian school-aged adolescents with higher prevalence and impact in females. Our findings should alert health professionals and school authorities to timely identify, manage, and educate adolescents with acne.

The influence of exposome on acne

BACKGROUND

Acne vulgaris is one of the main reasons for dermatological consultations. Severity and response to treatment may be impacted by various external factors or exposome.

AIM

To assess the impact of environmental factors on acne and to provide a comprehensive overview of the acne exposome.

METHODS

Two consensus meetings of five European dermatologists and a comprehensive literature search on exposome factors triggering acne served as a basis for this review.

RESULTS

Acne exposome was defined as the sum of all environmental factors influencing the occurrence, duration and severity of acne. Exposome factors impact on the response and the frequency of relapse to treatments by interacting with the skin barrier, sebaceous gland, innate immunity and cutaneous microbiota. They may be classified into the following six main categories: nutrition, psychological and lifestyle factors, occupational factors including cosmetics, as well as pollutants, medication and climatic factors. Moreover, practical considerations for the dermatologist's clinical practice are proposed.

CONCLUSION

Exposome factors including nutrition, medication, occupational factors, pollutants, climatic factors, and psychosocial and lifestyle factors may impact on the course and severity of acne and on treatment efficacy. Identifying and reducing the impact of exposome is important for an adequate acne disease management.

The skin microbiome: impact of modern environments on skin ecology, barrier integrity, and systemic immune programming

Skin barrier structure and function is essential to human health. Hitherto unrecognized functions of epidermal keratinocytes show that the skin plays an important role in adapting whole-body physiology to changing environments, including the capacity to produce a wide variety of hormones, neurotransmitters and cytokine that can potentially influence whole-body states, and quite possibly, even emotions. Skin microbiota play an integral role in the maturation and homeostatic regulation of keratinocytes and host immune networks with systemic implications. As our primary interface with the external environment, the biodiversity of skin habitats is heavily influenced by the biodiversity of the ecosystems in which we reside. Thus, factors which alter the establishment and health of the skin microbiome have the potential to predispose to not only cutaneous disease, but also other inflammatory non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Indeed, disturbances of the stratum corneum have been noted in allergic diseases (eczema and food allergy), psoriasis, rosacea, acne vulgaris and with the skin aging process. The built environment, global biodiversity losses and declining nature relatedness are contributing to erosion of diversity at a micro-ecological level, including our own microbial habitats. This emphasises the importance of ecological perspectives in overcoming the factors that drive dysbiosis and the risk of inflammatory diseases across the life course.