Acne Scarring and Depression Many people who have experienced moderate-to-severe acne are likely to have some kind of acne scarring. For some, the scars are not a problem and do not affect their lives at all. For others, acne scars can cause serious social anxiety, low self-esteem and depression.
Acne scars can be sunken (depressed) due to the loss of tissue. They may look like ice pick pits. They can be rolling, creating a wavy texture in the skin or they may also be boxlike. These are sometimes called boxcar acne scars and are often on the face.
Those with scars undergo a remodelling of their emotional state and are more prone to the development of depression and anxiety; feelings of shame and aggression can follow. This creates strain in social interactions, resulting in stunted communication, reduced intimacy, and avoidant behaviours.
For many people who have acne, the skin disease affects more than their appearance. Acne can take a toll on one's emotional health. Researchers have found in study after study that people with acne can also develop: Depression.
Deep scars often require skin surgery and resurfacing. Dermatologists use fillers to safely and effectively plump depressed acne scars. A dermatologist may fill acne scars with collagen, the patient's own fat, or another substance. Many fillers give us temporary results, which last between 6 and 18 months.
Acne scars do not go away entirely on their own. Depressed acne scars often become more noticeable with age as skin loses collagen. However, there are a variety of treatments that can make acne scars less noticeable. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or redness may lighten on its own within several months.
67 percent would find someone unattractive if they had acne. 41 percent did not want to be seen in public with someone with acne. 44 percent felt uncomfortable touching someone with acne.
When you're stressed, having acne may feel like an even bigger deal than it is, as stress tends to amplify negative feelings. Stress-relieving activities—whether it's tai chi or yoga, reading a book, hanging out with friends, fishing, or anything that makes you feel relaxed—will give you a better outlook.
Many studies showed high prevalence rates of depression and anxiety among patients with acne, reaching up to >40%, with suicidal cases in 6–7%.
The aforementioned 2008 study found that women's attractiveness was not affected by minor facial scarring. But in a study of breast cancer survivors, participants rated women with breast scarring as less attractive, and they ranked celebrities with breast scars as especially unattractive.
In a 2014 National Rosacea Society survey of 1,675 patients with rosacea — a condition that causes facial redness and related symptoms — 90 percent of respondents reported lowered self-esteem and self-confidence, 54 percent reported anxiety and helplessness, and 43 percent reported depression, for example.
Men with mild facial scars were typically ranked as more appealing by women who were looking for a brief relationship, though they were not considered better as marriage material, a study found. In the same experiments, women with facial scars were judged to be as attractive as those without, the researchers said.
Individuals want to hide or cover their scars and feel embarrassed, self-conscious and/or less self-confident. Scars are also a source of frustration, sadness, anger and/or anxiety.
"Women may have rated scarring as an attractive quality for short-term relationships because they found it be a symbol of masculinity, a feature that is linked to high testosterone levels and an indicator of good genetic qualities that can be passed on to offspring.
It has been suggested that patients with moderate-to-severe acne suffer from poor body image, low self-esteem and experience social isolation and constriction of activities. As part of the emotional impact, increased levels of anxiety, anger, depression and frustration are also observed in patients with acne.
Studies have tied acne to depression, anxiety, isolation, and low self-esteem. These are all very real, very critical issues that can easily put some people's lives on hold.
Mialon and Nesson found that having acne in high school was associated with a higher overall GPA—as well as a greater likelihood of earning an A in math, science, history and social studies, and English—and a higher chance of earning a bachelor's degree.
Acne commonly starts during puberty between the ages of 10 and 13 and tends to be worse in people with oily skin. Teenage acne usually lasts for five to 10 years, normally going away during the early 20s. It occurs in both sexes, although teenage boys tend to have the most severe cases.
Acne vulgaris typically starts around the age of 12 to 14 years but tends to manifest earlier in female patients. Patients' peak age for severity is 16 to 17 years in female and 17 to 19 years in male patients.
Depending on the location of the scar, acne scars can appear more severe as you grow older because of collagen depletion in the skin. Depressed acne scars or atrophic acne scarring will usually look worse as your skin loses natural volume as part of the natural aging process.
While some scars are permanent, acne scars and other small blemishes aren't impossible to reduce and fade away. There are several types of acne scars, but they can be split into three categories: atrophic, hypertrophic, and keloid.
But even atrophic scars can linger for years based on your skin type and the severity of your acne. In general, most acne scars will not go away by themselves or even with at-home treatments with chemical exfoliants like lactic or glycolic acid.
May be that they associate it with health and bravery, according to scientists at Liverpool and Stirling universities. In the study, women rated scars as attractive for flings because they saw them symbols of masculinity — good qualities to pass on in the genes, if you know what I mean.