Research has shown acne takes a toll on emotional health, leading to low self-esteem and depression. Now, new research focusing on how society views people with acne, as opposed to how they view themselves, is highlighting further difficulties both in social and professional life. For instance, researchers found people are keen to avoid people with pimples and feel less comfortable hiring them compared with people without acne. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital collected stock images of four men and women, then created two duplicate images of each person showing them with mild and severe acne. They then showed one random photo to each of 1,357 study participants while asking questions about the person's social desirability.
Participants reported less comfort in being friends, having close contact, or posting a photo on social media with individuals with severe acne, compared to individuals without acne, per Gizmodo. They also reported less comfort in hiring or dating these individuals, per HealthDay. Additionally, participants were more likely to rate individuals with severe acne as being unhygienic, unattractive, unintelligent, unlikable, immature, and untrustworthy. "Our findings show that stigmatizing attitudes about acne can impair quality of life, potentially by affecting personal relationships and employment opportunities," says dermatologist John Barbieri, director of the hospital's Advanced Acne Therapeutics Clinic and co-author of the study published Dec. 6 in JAMA Dermatology.
Barbieri notes acne is "often wrongly perceived as merely a cosmetic issue," including by insurers. "Our study highlights the need for that narrative to change and for identifying approaches to reduce stigmatizing attitudes in the community," he says. Members of Generation Z are trying to combat the stigma by wearing brightly colored stickers that help reduce pimples while also serving as a fashion accessory, per the Messenger. (More acne stories.)
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