Clinical profile of acne vulgaris in semiurban patients

Background: Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit, mainly affecting face and frequently followed by scarring. It is the most common skin disease in an urban dermatology clinic in India. Adult acne is more common in women and may be a marker of hyperandrogenism.The present study was carried out to study the clinical profile of acne vulgaris in semiurban patients.Methods: The study was conducted for 1 year on all eligible patients of acne vulgaris attending dermatology OPD of a hospital catering to semiurban patients. Data including grade of acne, markers of androgenicity and post-acne scarring was collected. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 15 software.Results: Frequency of acne vulgaris patients in the dermatology OPD was 2.8% with 429 acne patients out of 15,322 new patients. Female to male ratio was 1.44:1. The mean age of onset in males was 16.24 and in females, 14.84 years. Grade 2 acne (66%) was commonest followed by grade 3 (5.1%) and grade 4 (3.7%). Associated conditions seen were seborrhea (60.8%), alopecia (18.9%), acanthosis (4.9%) and PCOD (2.3%). Markers of androgenicity were more frequently seen in grade 2 acne which was statistically significant. Atrophic scars were commonest including icepick scars (80.2%), rolling scars (67.4%) and box scars (57.8%). Conclusions: In our study females had an earlier onset and closed comedones were the most common acne lesion. Grade 2 acne vulgaris formed majority of patients. Grade 4 acne vulgaris was more common in males.