Self-reported adherence to treatment and quality of life in mild to moderate acne.

BACKGROUND

Adherence to treatment is a mayor issue in dermatology, and its relationship to quality of life has barely been studied.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between scores on the Skindex-29 skin disease assessment scale and adherence to treatment in patients with acne.

METHODS

An observational, prospective study of 1,628 patients carried out by 252 clinicians in Spain.

RESULTS

Adherence was related to better objective and subjective severity index scores and better Skindex-29 scale scores at the end of the study. Young, male and unemployed patients had the worst adherence scores. Baseline and final Skindex-29 scale scores were significantly worse in non-adherent females, while non-adherent males scored better. Reasons for non-adherence were side effects for older patients and forgetfulness for younger ones.

CONCLUSION

Dermatologists should explain that adherence to treatment is linked to better outcomes and better quality of life. Young females with high Skindex-29 scale scores and males with low Skindex scores are especially prone to non-adherence.