ABSTRACT
Acne is a common skin condition affecting most people in their lifetime and in
most in a mild to moderate degree. Although traditionally thought of as a disease
of teenagers and a “rite of passage,” we know acne can affect from infancy well
into the adult years. Studies show 79% to 95% of teenagers are affected (1). In
addition, acne may begin in the twenties and thirties, with persistence into
adulthood. In one review, up to 12% of female patients had symptoms of acne
until the age of 44 (1). This percentage appears to be less for men, around 3% in
the same study had acne until the age of 44. In a more recent study, surveyed
patients reported an increased prevalence of acne into adulthood (2). In this
study, over 1013 patients were divided into four age groups: 20 to 29 years, 30 to
39 years, 40 to 49 years, and over 50 years. In each adult age group, women
reported more acne than men and the percentages were striking. In the 20-to
29-year-olds, 50.9% of women versus 42.5% of men reported acne. This trend
continued in each age group, with the 35.2%, 26.3%, and 15.3% of women aged
30 to 39, 40 to 49, and over 50 years, respectively, reporting acne. The per-
centages for men with acne in the same age groups of increasing years were
20.1%, 12%, and 7.3%. It is these female patients whom we most often refer to
when discussing hormonal treatment of acne.
