BACKGROUND: Acne is principally a disorder of adolescence. However, a number of observational studies have documented a significant degree of acne in adult women. One study found a difference in women between late-onset acne and acne that persisted from adolescence. There were significant higher sebum excretion rates among women whose acne originated during the teenage years compared with late-onset acne groups. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical features of patients with acne and to compare the sebum excretion rates and the density of P acnes in adult acne with that in adolescent acne. METHODS: Thirty nine patients with acne vulgaris were clinically evaluated. Sebum secretion rates were evaluated by Sebutape method. The density of P acnes counted by scrub method. RESULTS: 1. The severity grades were mild to moderate in adult acne groups, consisting with the lower acne lesion counts than that of adolescent acne groups. 2. Sebum secretion rates by Sebutape(R) method showed different patterns in two groups. The mean value in the adult acne groups was lower than that in adolescent acne groups, but not statistically significant. Chin area dominant pattern, shown in adult acne groups, were not apparent in adolescent acne groups. 3. The density of P acnes was a lower mean value in the adult acne groups, but not statistically significant. Only in adolescent acne groups, the severity grades are well correlated to the density of P acnes. CONCLUSION: Adult acne was mild to moderate in severity. Clinically, adult acne differs from adolescent acne in that the lesions are located most commonly around the chin. Sebum excretion rate was the highest in the chin area of patients with adult acne. But there was no significant difference in two groups. Also the density of P acnes was not significantly different in two groups.
Acne Vulgaris* ; Adolescent* ; Adult* ; Chin ; Female ; Humans ; Propionibacterium acnes* ; Propionibacterium* ; Sebum*