Acne vulgaris leading to psychosocial problems among youth of Karachi

Abstract Background: Acne Vulgaris (AV) is one of the most common prevalent dermal condition and is testified to have affected 80% of the world's populace around the vividly marked ages of 13 to 30 years. The current study is designed to investigate the association among acne and multifactorial pathogenesis along with social factors and psychological impacts on effected individuals. Methodology: A survey-based study on a sample of 500 subjects was conducted from February 2016 to October 2016. A structured questionnaire classified into different sections concerning the demographic characteristics, skin type, complexion were inquired while the lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking habits and other factors leading to AV or associated stress were also interrogated. Results: According to the study results AV was found to be more prevalent in both sexes with a slightly increased outbreak in males (52.4%) as compared to females (47.6%). There was no significant relationship observed between the breakout places of AV and its impact on self-confidence (p=0.197) whereas its impact on the subject's social involvement was significant (p<0.001). Skin type was also found significantly associated with AV outbreak (p<0.05). Apart from physiological factors, smoking was also one of the triggers for AV (p<0.05) while Stress was also correlated with acne and its severity (p