Prevalence and Demographics of Truncal Involvement Among Acne Patients: Survey Data and a Review of the Literature

Jerry Tan; James Q Del Rosso; Jonathan S Weiss; Alison M Layton; Neal D Bhatia; Krysten Lisella Arekapudi; Firas G Hougeir; Seemal R Desai

Prevalence and Demographics of Truncal Involvement Among Acne Patients: Survey Data and a Review of the Literature

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2022 Oct;15(10):62-67.

Authors

Jerry Tan¹, James Q Del Rosso², Jonathan S Weiss³, Alison M Layton⁴, Neal D Bhatia⁵, Krysten Lisella Arekapudi⁶, Firas G Hougeir⁷, Seemal R Desai⁸

Affiliations

¹ Dr. Tan is with Windsor Clinical Research Inc. in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and the Department of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
² Dr. Del Rosso is with JDR Dermatology Research and Thomas Dermatology in Las Vegas, Nevada and Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery in Maitland, Florida.
³ Dr. Weiss is with Georgia Dermatology Partners and Gwinnett Clinical Research Center Inc. in Snellville, Georgia.
⁴ Dr. Layton is with the Department of Dermatology at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust in Harrogate, United Kingdom.
⁵ Dr. Bhatia is with Therapeutics Clinical Research in San Diego, California.
⁶ Dr. Lisella Arekapudi is with Galderma Laboratories L.P. in Fort Worth, Texas.
⁷ Dr. Hougeir is with Southeast Dermatology Specialists in Douglasville, Georgia.
⁸ Dr. Desai is with the Department of Dermatology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.Dr. Desai is also with Innovative Dermatology in Plano, Texas.

PMID: 36312821
PMCID: PMC9586532

Abstract

Background: Truncal acne is frequently underdiagnosed despite affecting around half of those with facial acne. The objective was to provide an overview of the literature on the incidence of truncal acne according to age, gender, and acne severity.

Methods: A narrative review of data from recent large surveys and a literature search in PubMed on the incidence of truncal acne across subgroups of age, gender, and acne severity.

Results: The prevalence of truncal acne alone was low, ranging from <1% to 14%, but approximately 30 to 60 percent of individuals with facial acne also had truncal acne depending on the population. In an online survey in the United States of 2,000 respondents aged between 14 -29 years with self-reported active facial and/or truncal acne, the incidence of truncal acne was lower in the 14-20 years subgroup than in the 21-29 years subgroup (49% vs 54%). The incidence of truncal acne was similar in both males and females, while 46 percent of respondents with self-declared clear and mild acne indicated having truncal involvement compared to 60 percent of those with moderate or severe acne.

Limitations: Online surveys have inherent limitations, such as self-reporting and potential confounders.

Conclusion: Data suggests that patients with both facial and truncal involvement have earlier onset of acne and more severe acne. Additional adverse psychological impact may arise from having the impression that the disease is spreading and becoming more severe. Raising awareness of truncal acne prevalence and demographics could improve its clinical management to reduce the negative psychological impact.

Keywords: Acne; back; burden; chest; demographics; prevalence; truncal; trunk.