Acne is a common skin disorder of teenagers and continues into adulthood.\nResearch has been limited regarding acne prevalence, perception and health\ncare utilization in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to assess acne\nprevalence in final year female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia using\nthe global acne grading system (GAGS) compared with studentâ��s self-report of\ntheir acne. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 151 students during\n2016, in which students were interviewed subjectively and examined objectively\nby a trained physician. This study showed that acne was reported\nsubjectively by 83.4% of female students compared to 98% of students assessed\nobjectively by the global acne grading system. 14.6% of students claimed\nhaving no acne while it was objectively present, which was statistically significant\n(�§2 = 15.4, P < 0.001). 41% visited a dermatologist and 28.5% waited 1\nyear until seeking a dermatologist. However, 35.8% of students got an overthe-\ncounter drug for their acne. Surprisingly, treatment duration expectation\nwas <1 week in 9.9% compared to >2 months in 39.1% of students. Acne was\npresent in 41.1% of the students parents compared to 83.4% in their siblings.\nA total of 41.7% of student had trunk acne. 60.9% of students had scarring\nand 72.8% of them had pigmentation. Moderate to severe acne students had\nhigher siblings acne history of 95.2% (�§2 = 5.85, P < 0.05), higher scaring of\n73.8% (�§2 = 4.05, P < 0.05), and higher pigmentation of 85.7% (�§2 = 4.87, P <\n0.05) which was statistically significant. Our study confirms that acne is very\ncommon in female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with a prevalence\nrate of 98%. Knowledge regarding acne treatment was inadequate demonstrating\nthe need for educational and awareness programs about early\ntreatment that will prevent suffering from acne scarring or pigmentation.
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