Acne is an almost unavoidable aspect of growing up but the teenagers most affected by this common and frequently temporary skin condition say they’d gladly pay hundreds of dollars if it meant never having acne in the first place. The psychological impact of the condition can be alarming enough that even the parents of teenagers are willing to pay up if it means their children could avoid ever having an acne flare-up.

The psychological impact of teenage acne runs the gamut from anxiety and depression to embarrassment strong enough to invite social dysfunction. Researcher Cynthia L. Chen, MD, and her team of colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco, enlisted 266 teens to volunteer for a study on the effects of acne vulgaris during adolescence.

Questionnaires answered by the teens were used to identify the cost a teen would be willing to pay to avoid any incidences of acne as well as how much of their lives they’d be willing to forfeit if it meant a lifetime of freedom from acne. And, since it’s usually the parents who foot the bill for their children’s acne therapy, the volunteer teens’ parents were also included in the survey.

Three acne-based scenarios were presented in the questionnaire – to be 100% free from acne, to be 100% free from active outbreaks but to have scars visible from previous outbreaks, and to have a 50% reduction of all current symptoms of acne.

When the trade-off between life expectancy and life with acne were evaluated, Chen’s team discovered these statistics:

• The teens’ average score, including current acne state, was .961;
• 100% freedom from acne scored highest, at .978;
• 100% clearance with lingering scarring scored .965; and
• 50% improvement scored .967.

To arrive at a score, the research team divided the individual’s life expectancy without acne by his or her life expectancy with acne.

From the financial perspective, teens were willing to pay as follows:

• $275 was the mid-point cost teens would be willing to pay for a life totally free of acne;
• $100 was found to be the going rate for 100% clearance of current acne problems;
• $10 is all that teens would pay for 50% reduction in blemishes; and
• They wouldn’t pay at all if 100% clearance from acne blemishes came with scarring.

Teens who experienced the most severe cases of acne were willing to give more life and pay more money to avoid acne. Scarring occurs in almost 95% of all acne cases.

Parents were willing to pay almost the same thing as their children for the elimination of acne:

• $250 was the mid-point parents would be willing to pay so a child could live totally free of acne;
• $100 was found to be the going rate for 100% clearance of current acne problems;
• Parents would pay $100 for 50% reduction in blemishes; and
• They wouldn’t pay at all, either, if 100% clearance from acne blemishes came with scarring.

With these responses in mind, the Chen team suggests doctors treating teenagers with acne must never lose sight of the psychological implications of the skin condition. The conventional therapies commonly used today, including the application of topical benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, and antibiotics, generally reduces lesion count by only 40% to 60%.

The findings of the Chen study also spotlight the high level of expectation patients feel toward acne treatments, an issue that may need to be addressed during treatment to minimize the hope for unrealistic outcomes.

The JAMA/Archives publication, Archives of Dermatology, carries the details of the study in its August issue.

Source: JAMA