title: The Impact of Post-Acne Scars on the Quality of Life Among Young Adults in Singapore.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Post-acne scarring is a common and well-known sequelae of acne vulgaris. We aim to study the impact of post-acne scarring on the quality of life (QOL) among young adults in Singapore.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a non-interventional prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 21-40 years with atrophic and hypertrophic acne scars who attended the National Skin Centre, Singapore were recruited in the study. They answered a simple questionnaire and the clinical severity of their acne scars were assessed by the doctor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive analyses using absolute and percentage frequencies were performed on all data. The test of significance was two-sided and was set at 5% (P ≤ 0.05). Differential analyses were conducted using the parametric, independent two-sample t-test and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test. The statistical assessments were performed using SPSS version 18.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 100 patients were studied. The mean patients' subjective self-scoring on the severity of their post-acne scars was 5.78/10 and the mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) for post-acne scars was 5.61. Many (36%, n = 36) were self-conscious of their acne scars and 24%, (n = 24) felt that their acne scars was affecting their social activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that post-acne scars have a significant negative effect on the QOL of young adults. It highlights the need to increase public awareness of acne vulgaris and its sequelae through education programs and advocating early treatment to reduce the risk of scarring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, National Skin Centre, Singapore.
authors.forename: Sai Yee
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chuah
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, National Skin Centre, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chee Leok
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Goh
keywords: Post-acne scars; quality of life; young adults