Prevalence, Awareness and Psychological Impact of Acne Vulgaris among University Students

Background: Acne is a common, irritating chronic skin disease among adolescent age group worldwide. Despite good number of studies discussing and debating his skin condition, still there are serious psychosocial concerns, gap in knowledge and lack of awareness among acne patients. Methods: This is observational, cross sectional, institutional-based study to find out prevalence, awareness and psychological impact of acne among students in Majmaah University, conducted between January-April 2018. Results: The study showed that 56% of the university students had some form of acne. More than three quarter of the participants were less aware and had poor level of knowledge of the disease's etiology and aggravating factors. 61% of the students had belief that folk medicine contributes positively in acne management. 84.6% of both male and female students responded that acne had obvious negative effects on the life of the affected and there is a social stigma associated with it. Conclusion: Acne is a well-known and prevalent irritating skin disease among Majmaah university students, affecting both sexes. Our study found out very poor level of awareness and knowledge about etiology and associated aggravating factors of acne. Furthermore, strong association of acne with severe psychological impact is also evident among (85.6%) of participants. More comprehensive health education about acne needed to be spread among University students and community, addressing the gap in knowledge, required for proper management of acne and to reduce the negative psychosocial impact of the disease among this age group.