Do patients with acne need cognitive behavioral therapy? An analysis of patient knowledge and behavior.

BACKGROUND

Acne is a common skin condition that affects adolescents as well as young adults, and numerous treatment modalities have been introduced with various success. However, most of the therapeutic measures have failed to show a long-lasting effect because acne is a multi-factorial disease. Some of the factors can be effectively modified by patients themselves. We hereby present an analysis of patients' cognition of the disease and behavioral patterns that can influence patient compliance and the efficacy of the adjacent therapy.

METHODS

The survey was conducted on 136 Korean patients at a private cosmetic clinic, using a questionnaire form on their cognition and everyday habitual care.

RESULTS

The results showed that the patients neither possess the proper knowledge nor behave appropriately when taking care of acne-prone skin.

CONCLUSIONS

For a successful therapeutic alliance, it seems useful to provide knowledge and introduce a cognitive-behavioral therapy to the field of acne treatment.