Trends in Ambulatory Health Care Usage for Adult Acne.

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of acne is increasing among young children but not well characterized in older patients.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether ambulatory health care for adult acne is increasing and whether the average age of adult acne patients seeking care has been increasing over time.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of data from the 1993-2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for acne visits in ages 25 and older.

RESULTS

Average age of adult acne patients increased by 0.13 years per year over the study period. Visits per 100,000 population declined in the 25 to 34 age group (P=.05) and did not change significantly in the 35 to 44 and 45 and older age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The hypothesis that adult acne visits are increasing was not supported, but the average age of adult acne patients seeking care has been rising.