Acne can have a significant effect on people with regards to
confidence and socialising. Peer acceptance is very important to
teenagers and should be taken seriously.
Problems Teenagers are
developing their personalities as they reach adulthood,
unfortunately physical appearance and attractiveness is highly
linked to peer status.
Problems that acne
sufferers may face are:
Self esteem and
body image.
Some embarrassed acne sufferers avoid eye contact.
Some acne sufferers grow long hair to cover their
face and girls tend to wear heavy make up to cover their faces,
however this can also aggravate the condition.
Truncal acne can reduce participation in sport
such as swimming or rugby because of the need to disrobe in
public changing rooms.
Social withdrawal/relationship building
Acne, especially when it affects the face,
provokes cruel taunts from other teenagers.
Some find it hard to form new relationships,
especially with the opposite sex.
At a time when teenagers are learning to form
relationships, those with acne may lack the self-confidence to
go out and make these bonds. They become shy and even reclusive.
The main concern is a fear of negative appraisal by others. In
extreme cases a social phobia can develop.
Education/work
Some refuse to go school leading to poor academic
performance and possibly future unemployment.
Some take sick days from work, risking their jobs
or livelihood.
Acne may reduce career choices, ruling out
occupations such as modelling that depend upon personal
appearance.
Acne patients are less successful in job
applications; their lack of confidence being as important as the
potential employers' reaction to their spotty skin.
More people who have acne are unemployed than
people who do not have acne are.
Many young adults with acne seek medical help as
they enter the workforce, where they perceive that acne is
unacceptable and that they should have grown out of it by now.
Acne and
depression
Some acne
patients develop depression from their condition, if this is
recognised it can be managed. Signs of depression include:
Loss of appetite
Lethargy
Mood disturbance
Behavioural problems
Wakefulness
Spontaneous crying feelings of unworthiness.
In
teenagers depression may manifest as social withdrawal (retreat to
the bedroom or avoidance of peers) or impaired school performance
(lower grades or missed assignments). Worse still, severe depression
from acne has resulted in attempted suicide and, unfortunately,
successful suicide. Worrying statements include I don't want to wake
up in the morning; I'd be better off dead; I'm worthless; You'd be
better off without me. Parents, friends and school counsellors need
to take heed when they start to hear these types of comments.
Very rarely
depression may be linked to acne treatment. There is considerable
doubt that the drug has caused the problem and it seems much more
likely that it results from acne and psychological disturbances.
