AN EXPLORATORY REVIEW OF THE MYTHS AND COMMON BELIEFS ABOUT ACNE AND ITS TREATMENT

Objective: To assess considerations of patients about various dietary and preventive factors of acne regarding their disease and treatment

Methods and Results:100 patients presenting with Acne Vulgaris to Out Patient Department of Dermatology, Mayo Hospital Lahore  were interviewed regarding their disease duration, Intensity, diets that affected their symptoms and the remedies they took to ameliorate their symptoms according to a pre-designed questionnaire during period from September, 2017 to February, 2018. Demographic data was gathered from the respondents. Frequency tables were generated regarding research variables.

100 respondents were interviewed about their acne vulgaris, remedies they took and the diets they considered responsible for worsening and ameliorating their symptoms.75% of patients were of >20 age. 97% were diagnosed by Physician. 75% of patient were well educated.25% had already some chronic ailment, Chronic Skin Disease being most common, with 47% of patients were using medications before consulting the physician.59% had a dietary trigger for exacerbation of their symptoms, whereas 51% had their symptoms benefited by dietary modifications. 63% of patients were of the view that counselling about the disease and dietary factors helped them a lot about understanding the disease and controlling their symptoms. 54% of patients were using over the counter anti acne creams before consulting the physician.59% had their symptoms worsened by taking fried foods. Contrary to that, fruits were the major relieving factor to ameliorate the symptoms of acne for most patients.

Conclusion: Majority of the patients had benefitted from counselling regarding relationship of disease to dietary modifications. Fried foods are the most common trigger for exacerbating the symptoms of Acne Vulgaris, whereas Fruits were the major dietary addition that ameliorated the symptoms.

Key Words:  Acne, Dietary modifications, Self-remedies for Acne Vulgaris, Diet and Acne