Statistics on Acne Occurrence

Acne is one of the most widespread skin disorders in the United States. It affects nearly one hundred percent of the population developing for most in teenage and preteen years and lasting until the early twenties. Despite all this, acne is not contagious.

Acne is a skin disorder that is caused by excessive production of sebum by the sebaceous glands. It can appear in many forms, among them are: blackheads, whiteheads, and mild inflammatory acne. There are more severe types of acne known as nodular or cystic acne. Most people are susceptible to this disease and while it's primary victims are in their teens and twenties, it can affect people of all ages, genders, and races.

Some of the contributing factors to acne outbreaks include: stress, diet, hormonal imbalances, chemical reactions to medicines and foods, oil based cosmetics, and environmental irritants (heat, humidity, pollution, etc). Statistics state that nearly 85% of all teenagers will suffer from acne outbreak between the ages of 12 and 24. Additionally, 25% of those will develop deep permanent scarring as a result of their acne. Furthermore, the American Dermatologists Association states that 25% of adults suffer from active acne, 60 million Americans are currently experiencing active acne, 20 million Americans are likely to suffer from acne scars and at most, and only 11% of acne sufferers ever seek treatment. Too add, it still remains a social taboo.

While acne is very treatable by those who seek medical attention the truth is that only 11% of people who suffer from it will seek medical attention from a doctor, 20% will go to a skin center and 30% will make use of over the counter topical treatments purchased from pharmacies and discount stores. 40% of those suffering from acne will do nothing to treat it and suffer in silence.

Tretinoin is a common acne treatment. A survey reported that 75% of Tretinoin prescriptions are written for people 33 and older while 63% is written for those over the age of 40. Acne remains one of the most treatable skin conditions in the United States. While this condition is often blamed on an unhealthy diet, there is no correlating evidence to support that theory but the fact remains that those eating western (American) diets are far more likely to develop not only acne, but also the deep penetrating acne than those not sharing our diets.

Acne is not caused by dirt rather an over abundance of sebum that has been released into the dermis of the skin. The following have been known to trigger excessive sebum production: Hormones, heat, friction (tight clothing that rubs against the skin), irritation (over scrubbing of the face and skin), and poor diet (lack of important minerals such as vitamins A and E).