Asian J Beauty Cosmetol. 2009; 7(2): 161-172.

Study on Characteristics of Adolescent Acne in Chung Cheong Area

This survey focuses on the acne characteristics of adolescence in order to collect data for managing this period because acne, a chronic inflammatory disease of sebaceous glands, is mostly developed in adolescent period. The following results were driven by the survey of 340 students in Chung-Cheong area and the analysis of its severity distribution, the initial acne ages, awareness of it, and its management level. 1. 81.5% of the students had initial acne symptoms in their adolescent periods: 83.1% for boys and 79.9% for girls. In case of girls, middle school students showed highest occurrence in 1st-level (worst-level) acne while high school boys showed highest 2nd-level acne rate. And the development of acne differs upon the sex as the statistics show (χ2=88.07,p<.001). Acne level also goes more severe as the ages go higher.(r=.404,p<.001) 2. The age of initial acne generation shows that 14 is highest with 23.2%: 15 for boys and 13 for girls. 3. Statistically the level of acne and the level of common sense for this symptom don't show any correlation except for the girls (r=.161,p<.05). This shows the girl students with higher level of acne have higher level of common sense for acne. 4. The school class statistics show that elementary school students think they are affected by acne while middle school students do not (F=4.28,p<.05). 5. The most students currently have acne(81.5%): 93.3% for middle school students and 92.8% for high school students (χ2=93.16,p<.001). 6. Usually they realize acne by themselves (81.3%): 86.0% for high school students, 83.0% for middle school students, and 66.7% for elementary students (χ2=22.92,p<.001). 7. 61.3% of students don't manage acne while only 1.4% of them take skin care. 8. The reason for managing acne: 87.3% are concerned about their skin. And the others are recommended to do so by their parents, brothers or sisters, friends, etc. 9.The methods of getting information about acne: 31.0% use internet,26.4% get it from their friends, 25.0% from their parents/brothers/sisters,12.7% directly from experts, 4.9% from newspaper, magazines, and mass media. The above results show people mostly get acne in their adolescent ages but they don't know how to manage it. So, we need to train them in more proactive ways in order to manage their acne appropriately in its initial generation and thus not to let it go to higher level of symptoms.

Keywords : Acne rate, The initial acne ages, Awarenness level, The level of acne, Managing acne