NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a testament to how much teenagers are bothered by acne, a study released today shows that many would be willing to pay a considerable amount to be acne-free.
Almost all adolescents suffer with acne, which can cause anxiety, depression, embarrassment and social problems, Dr. Cynthia L. Chen and colleagues from University of California, San Francisco, note in the Archives of Dermatology.
Reducing the psychological and social impact of acne "is considered one of the guiding principles for its clinical management and it is important to measure and evaluate this impact," they note.
Chen and colleagues asked 266 teens with acne how much money they would pay to have never had acne, to have all of their acne gone but with visible scars, or to have half of their acne gone.
"Although the adolescents in our study seemed to prefer all of the hypothetical outcomes of their current (acne) state, they strongly preferred complete clearance over partial clearance or clearing with scarring," the researchers report.
Specifically, the teens reported they would pay an average of $275 to have never had acne, $100 to be 100-percent cleared of acne, $10 to be 50-percent clear of acne, and zero for 100-percent clearance with acne scars.
"It seems that adolescents consider 50-percent clearance and total clearance with scarring to be not much of an improvement over their current level of acne," Chen and colleagues note.
Parents said they would pay a median of $250 for their child to never have had acne, $100 for 100-percent clearance, $100 for 50-percent clearance and zero for 100-percent clearance with scarring.
According to the researchers, studies have shown that 3 to 4 months of conventional acne therapy, including creams containing benzoyl peroxide or retinoids, and oral antibiotics, typically leads to a 40-percent to 60-percent reduction in the number of pimples. Studies have also shown that the vast majority of teens (95 percent) will have scars on their face from acne.
Adolescents' preference for total clearance over partial clearance or clearance with scarring suggests that dermatologists must weigh high patient expectations against study results, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, August 2008.
