Acne has led to verbal abuse for half of sufferers

More than half of acne sufferers (57%) have experienced verbal abuse from people they know due to their skin condition.

Meanwhile, 95% of acne sufferers said the condition had an impact on their daily lives and 63% said it affected their self-confidence, according to a survey by the British Skin Foundation (BSF).

The survey of more than 2,000 sufferers was carried out to gain insight into what acne sufferers go through during their everyday lives.

Almost a third of sufferers said they had received unfair treatment at work or by staff while in education and over 40% said they had been bullied due to their condition. 

Over 10% of sufferers felt they had been unfairly dismissed from work because of their acne and almost a third said they were were not offered satisfactory treatment by a member of the medical profession.

Other findings from the research included the fact that over 20% had considered or attempted suicide due to the condition.

Consultant dermatologist and British Skin foundation spokesperson, Dr Anjali Mahto said, “What is really sad [about the statistics] is that acne, for the majority of people is a treatable skin disorder…People do underestimate acne and the impact it has on those suffering with it. These results highlight that acne should be taken far more seriously.  We also need to investigate the psychological burden of this further.”