The Unseen Impact of Acne

Besides the well-known, undesired and very-hard-to-get-rid-of physical effects of acne, of course there is a lot more. A lot more all these people have to endure and cope with on a daily basis: the emotional side of the story, the so called 'quiet' or 'unseen' impact of acne.

During our whole lifetime we own a special private 'visit card' - our face, look or appearance. With predilection in the young adulthood, we all express ourselves through our looks, and if by 'looks' we sadly refer to a face full of pimples and red spots, well...it's not quite as outgoing and pleasant for others to gauge at our 'attractiveness'.

Those who suffer from acne usually blame no one else or nothing else but themselves, because they simply don't understand their condition. Busting the myths about acne may help you understand the causes of this disease and take precautious measures to control it.

Acne has an important impact on the way people perceive 'life': they understand that they have to step aside from any social environment, by isolating themselves as much and often as they can, their self-esteem and self-respect get very low, they are depressed, angry, anxious. Most times these feelings of rage and worthlessness lead to suicidal tendencies. When a treatment is given to them, they feel confused and frustrated, they feel their social life is being limited by force, and they tend to find themselves in or to create difficult and awkward relationships with the rest of their family.

These effects are often related to each other and form a powerful impact on the patients, discouraging them when they try to pursuit some social opportunities, either it is at work or at school. An article written by Sulzberger and Zaidems in 1984 said the following: 'there is no any other disease that could cause more psychical pain, more misunderstandings between parents and children, more general insecurity and more feelings of inferiority and also more psychical sufferance than acne vulgaris is causing'.

The implication is quite obvious; acne hurts more in the inside than on the outside. It is crucial that patients understand that it is not their fault. Contrary to the popular belief, acne is not caused by what a person does, eats, washes his/her face, but by a lot of combined factors that have their origins in the skin.

Many times people who should consider themselves lucky they do not have to confront with acne tend to wrongfully underestimate the emotional and social impact of acne. It is a serious matter and we should all have more consideration for those suffering. Sometimes the mental stress of those affected by acne is greater than the stress associated with other chronic diseases, such as asthma, back pains, hearts diseases or diabetes.

The results of a study have shown the fact that 18 percent of acne patients reported serious depression and 44 percent reported anxiety. These people live in a real 'depth of despair', properly illustrated by another study reporting that 6 percent of patients thought about putting an end to their lives.

The social impacts of acne are also very likely to affect one's ability to earn his or her living. There are studies that indicate the fact that those who suffer from this skin condition are prone to unemployment more than those who do nor have to deal with this shameful disease, and also there is a Canadian study that shows the fact that people with more severe acne are more likely to be unemployed than those with lesser involvement; nevertheless, the exact cause of these findings is rather uncertain: we do not know if these are due to the fact that the employer might find it difficult to hire someone whose face is covered in pimples, or because of that person's psychosocial impairment.

Acne may cause a deep emotional sufferance, but, if you have acne, the idea that you are not facing this horrible skin condition alone, by your own, and that the related treatments have seemingly evolved and there is a way to find a solution even for you should keep you going.