Introduction

Acne has been noted to affect of 60-70% of all Americans at some point of their life. Among these, about 20% tend to suffer from severity types of acne that leaves permanent scars on their face leading to a major psychological impact.

While teenagers are the most commonly affected population, acne can occur anytime during adolescence or adulthood and even in new born infants. In some instances adults between the age group of 30 to 40 years may also note the occurrence of acne.

Acne may be called as the disease of the western civilization as about 79% to 95% of the adolescent population in the westernized societies is noted to be affected by acne. Further, about 40% to 54% of individuals above the age of 25 years are noted to suffer from some degree of acne on the face which persists into middle age in about 12% of the women and about 3% of men.

In darker skin toned populations from Asia and Africa, the prevalence of acne is considerably lesser. Apart from skin tone, the commonest cause for higher prevalence of acne in Caucasians are due to western diets rich in diary products, high fat intake, alcohol and coffee intake and increased pollution rates

The prevalence in India, reported from a Varanasi dermatology clinic was 50.6% in boys and 38.13% in girls between the age group 12 and 17 years.

Face and shoulders are the most common area affected by acne while it may less commonly be noted on the other areas of the body such as the chest, arms, trunk, legs and the buttocks.

Acne is more commonly noted in boys rather than girls during the adolescent ages. However, during adulthood the scenario is reversed with women being more commonly affected than men. Acne may occur due to the interplay of a wide variety of factors.

Heredity is the most common cause of acne. The genes responsible for the occurrence of acne may be transferred to the offspring from either of the parents. Once hereditary factor is present several other factors can trigger the occurrence of acne.