In a study of teenagers and adults suffering from acne who consulted their dermatologist, the acne relapse rate was 44% (39.9% of those younger than age 20 and 53.3% of those age 20 and above).

The Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology study, which was supported by La Roche-Posay Dermatological Laboratories, also demonstrates that acne relapses are significantly associated with impaired quality of life, as well as with productivity loss and absenteeism from work or school.

In Metropolitan France, for example, the number of days lost due to acne relapses would total 350,000 days per year.

“This is the very first time we are able to demonstrate the impact of acne relapses on productivity and absenteeism,” explains senior author Dr Charles Taieb, of the European Market Maintenance Assessment (EMMA), in France.

[Source(s): Wiley, EurekAlert]