Acne in the Age of Social Media: Recognising the Psychosocial Burden on the Young Generation

Acne in the Age of Social Media

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common conditions seen in dermatology clinics, and for most people it arrives at the worst possible time in life. It usually begins around puberty, when androgen-driven sebum production, abnormal keratinisation of the follicle, colonisation by Cutibacterium acnes and local inflammation come together in the pilosebaceous unit. Most adolescents will have some degree of acne, and a considerable number, particularly women, continue to struggle with it well into their twenties and thirties.