Ashish Vilas Saboo, Neha Ashok Agarwal
BACKGROUND Although there is widespread acceptance of a relationship between stress and acne, not many studies have been performed to assess this relationship in Indian population particularly in unmarried females. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between stress and acne severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS A case control study was planned to study the association. All the subjects were assessed on Perceived Stress Scale to assess the level of stress they may have felt over past one month. All the diagnosed cases of acne vulgaris were assessed by Global Acne Grading Scale (GAGS) to assess the severity of acne. Then the findings were analysed statistically. RESULTS The results indicate that there is positive correlation between stress & acne. The cases showed high stress levels as compared to the controls which were statistically significant (p<0.01). The severity of acne vulgaris was also seen significantly more in subjects suffering from high stress levels (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Stress is one of the keen factors in causation as well as exacerbation of acne vulgaris. Also, stress is one factor that can be managed easily & effectively with proper precaution & care. Stress management should also be part of the holistic treatment of acne vulgaris.
