ADVERTISEMENT
Mental Health Outcomes With Acne Similar Across Skin Color
Mental health outcomes associated with acne in the United States are comparable in patients with skin of color and White patients, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
“Overall, our results indicate that acne patients of all races and ethnicities appear to suffer similarly from mental health conditions,” wrote corresponding author April W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, of the University of Southern California and coauthors in a letter. “As multiple studies have suggested that acne patients are at an increased risk for anxiety and depression, it is important to treat acne in patients of all races and ethnicities adequately to decrease the impact of mental health comorbidities.”
The study included 8.5 million US patients with acne in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey database who reported mental health outcomes between 2004 and 2017.
More Fruits, Vegetables Linked With Better Mental Health in Secondary School Students
When researchers grouped patients by skin color (White vs skin of color — the latter of which included people who self-identified as Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or multiple races), average scores were similar on the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale, and other measures.
Although the study did not find differences in mental health outcomes with skin color in patients with acne, researchers noted that access to acne treatment does differ with race and ethnicity.
“Studies have shown that patients with skin of color are less likely than White patients to be seen by a dermatologist for acne or be prescribed systemic agents for acne,” they wrote. “To mitigate health care disparities, clinicians must advocate for improved access to acne treatment for patients of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Reference
