Acne beliefs, treatment-seeking behaviors, information media usage, and impact on daily living activities of Thai acne patients

Background: Acne is a very common skin disease. Information on it is readily available and accessed by most patients. Nevertheless, they tend to have misunderstandings about the disease. Aims: This study investigated Thai acne patients' perceptions of, and beliefs, about acne; their treatment-seeking behaviors; and the data sources available to them. Patients/Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among teenage and adult acne patients at the skin clinics of the Department of Dermatology and the Department of Pediatrics, Siriraj Hospital, January-December 2017. Results: A total of 330 patients with a mean age of 23.89 ± 7.19 years (range: 9-51 years) were enrolled. Hormonal factors were the most common determinant thought to worsen acne (80.6%), followed by dirt (72.4%), inadequate sleep (65.5%), cosmetics (58.2%), and stress (55.8%), whereas frequent facial washing and exercise were the least common (4.8% each). The most common information source utilized by patients was friends (40.9%), followed by digital media (36.8%). Both males and females felt their acne greatly affected their quality of life. Before visiting the hospital, most patients used vitamin supplements and over-the-counter drugs as treatment. Conclusions: Some patients had good conceptions of certain aspects of acne, such as the influence of hormones or food, whereas others had misunderstandings about the effects of poor hygiene on acne. Friends and websites were the most common information resources exploited by patients. Acne substantially impaired the quality of patients' lives.