| Abstract [eng] |
Aim of the study: to investigate the associations between age, acne clinical presentation, skin care habits and quality of life in adult women with acne. Methods, participants: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out between October 2022 and January 2023. The women included in the study were those who consented to their anonymous responses being used for research purposes, were aged 25-55 years, had acne on their face, and completed the questionnaire with all questions answered. The dataset analysed consisted of demographic data, questions on harmful habits, onset of acne, morphology of acne lesions, acne in other areas of the body, skin care habits, responses to the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire, and Adult Female Acne Scoring Tool (AFAST) scores. Results: 615 questionnaires were collected during the survey, of which 393 were included in the analysis. The mean age was 32.0±6.0, mean DLQI score 6.3±5.3, mean AFAST 1 1.8±0.8 and mean AFAST 2 0.9±0.8. 238 (60.5%) subjects had rashes in the U – face area, 110 (28%) in the O – face area and 45 (11.5%) in the T – face area. 335 (85.2%) subjects had persistent acne and 58 (14.8%) had late acne. The mean age of onset was 15.1±3.1 for the persistent subtype and 28.2±4.7 for the late acne subtype, p<0.001. AFAST 1 and AFAST 2 estimates were not statistically significantly different between persistent and late acne subjects, p=0.496 and p=0.085. Persistent acne subjects had statistically significantly more open comedones than late acne subjects, p=0.017. Facial cleanser was the most frequently used skin care product, used by 362 (92.1%) of all subjects. Subjects with persistent acne who used a facial scrub had a higher AFAST 1 score than those who did not (2.0±0.7 and 1.8±0.7 respectively, p=0.007). Respondents with acne scars had a significantly higher DLQI score, p=0.001. Conclusions: In this study, facial and submandibular acne was mild in the respondents and AFAST estimates did not differ significantly between subtypes. In adult women, acne was most common on the cheeks. The majority of the women had a subtype of persistent acne. The mean DLQI score indicated a moderate impact of the disease on quality of life. The most frequently used skin care product was facial cleanser. Persistent acne subjects using facial scrubs had more severe facial acne. Acne scars lead to a lower quality of life. Keywords: acne; adult female acne; AFAST; DLQI; late acne; persistent acne. |
