Adult Female Acne and Associated Risk Factors: Results of a Multicenter Case-Control Study in Italy

    December 2016 in “ Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology ”
    Anna Di Landro, Simone Cazzaniga, Francesco Cusano, Angela Bonci, Carla Cardinali, Maria Letizia Musumeci, Annalisa Patrizi, Vincenzo Bettoli, Enrico Pezzarossa, Marzia Caproni, Anna Belloni Fortina, Elena Campione, Vito Ingordo, Debabrata Bandyopadhyay
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    TLDR The study found that family history, personal history of adolescent acne, no pregnancies, hirsutism, office work, stress, and low intake of fruits/vegetables and fish are risk factors for adult female acne.
    In a multicenter case-control study from Italy involving 248 women with adult female acne (AFA) and 270 controls, several risk factors were identified. These included a family history of acne (odds ratio [OR] for parents = 3.02, siblings = 2.40), personal history of adolescent acne (OR = 5.44), no previous pregnancies (OR = 1.71), hirsutism (OR = 3.50), being an office worker (OR = 2.24), high levels of stress (OR = 2.95), and dietary habits like low intake of fruits/vegetables (OR = 2.33) and fish (OR = 2.76). The study found no significant differences in BMI, smoking, drinking, education level, or occupation between the groups, but a higher intake of vegetables, fruit, and fish was associated with a lower risk of AFA. The study concluded that these factors are associated with AFA in women aged 25 and older, suggesting that AFA may have different pathogenic factors compared to adolescent acne, with less impact from metabolic factors.
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