Women with Adult Acne Face Harmful Misperceptions, New Study Finds

More women are battling adult acne, and the stigma surrounding it is taking a toll on both their physical and emotional health, according to a new study. The study finds that female faces with acne are often perceived as less attractive, successful, and happy.

Researchers asked 245 participants to view neutral and emotional images of females with both clear skin and acne. The participants rated the images based on attractiveness, facial disturbances, and emotions such as happiness and anger. Additionally, five more participants viewed the images online and were asked to score them based on personality traits.

The survey revealed that faces with acne were perceived as significantly less attractive, trustworthy, successful, confident, and dominant. Even happy faces with acne were rated as less happy compared to those with clear skin.

The lead author of the study emphasized the psychological burden of adult acne. He highlighted the importance of treatment approaches that focus not only on reducing the visible surface area affected by acne but also on improving the overall quality of life for patients. Over the past decade, adult acne in women has increased by 10% worldwide.