Over half of people who have ever had acne feel it has affected their self-confidence

A new survey, released today to mark the launch of Acne Support (www.acnesupport.org.uk), shows that 54 per cent of British adults who have ever experienced acne feel that it has had a negative impact on their self-confidence, and 22 per cent feel that it has had a negative impact on their social interactions.

Acne, unlike most common skin conditions, doesn’t have a dedicated charity or patient support group offering advice to the public, even though 48 per cent of people reported having had acne*, and 19 per cent of adults 25 and older reported having had adult acne**. Because of this, misinformation is rife and many people, even those we severe forms of acne, are ignorant about effective treatments. When prompted with a list of treatments and remedies, 34 per cent of people didn’t know which were effective and safe acne treatments, of those that did provide an answer, 22 per cent picked the option ‘sweating it out’, a completely ineffective approach.