Beliefs and perceptions about acne among undergraduate medical students

Abstract

Background Acne is a common disease affecting adolescents. It was hypothesized thatmisconceptions prevail among undergraduate medical students about acne.Objectives To determine the extent of misconceptions about acne in our undergraduatemedical students.Patients and methods: The students of Foundation University Medical College of first fouryear classes, whether suffering from acne or not, were included in the study. These studentscompleted a specially designed questionnaire.Results A total of 343 students participated in the study. The age range was from 17-21 years.The male to female ratio was 1:1.75. With respect to the causative factors 87% claimed poorhygiene, 82% identified stress, 79% incriminated diet (chocolates and cola drinks). As far asgeneral measures for acne were concerned, 75% believed that very frequent washing of facewould result in fewer breakouts, 70% took acne as a contagious disease and 12% believedthat squeezing the pimples would help them go away faster. As regards treatment for acne,53% believed that Betnovate® or a mixture of creams with Betnovate® is a treatment option,30% suggested that one should let acne run its course without treatment and 18 % believedthat there is no treatment for acne scars.Conclusions Misconceptions about acne are widespread and enduring among ourundergraduate medical students. A health education program is needed to improve theirunderstanding of the condition.