RecruitingNeurological/Neurodegenerative · Depression
A Study for Adult Participants With Major Depressive Disorder
Sarnia & Hamilton, Ontario
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Acne is an inflammatory condition of the hair follicle and its oil gland. Oil and skin cells block the follicle, it inflames, and the result is blackheads, whiteheads, red bumps, pustules and sometimes deeper nodules and cysts. It can be sore, and it can affect how you feel.
Acne is not a hygiene problem. The Canadian Dermatology Association links it to the hormonal changes of puberty, which overstimulate the oil glands, and notes having a parent with acne makes it more likely. Overwashing is on the association’s own list of things that make acne worse, along with pore-clogging cosmetics, pressure on the skin and picking.
It is also not only a teenage condition. The association reports more than 80% of people with acne are aged 12 to 24, but also that about 25% of teenagers still have acne at 25, and 20% to 30% of adults aged 20 to 40.
Severity is graded mild, moderate or severe, and changes over time.
Some risk factors cannot be changed:
Others can often be worked on, usually with support from a health care team:
Acne is diagnosed by looking at the skin. A family doctor, nurse practitioner or dermatologist notes which lesions are present, how widespread they are, then grades severity. No blood test is needed for ordinary acne, and hormonal assessment is used only when other findings suggest an underlying cause. Getting there can take several attempts: in a 2022 Canadian survey, 42% of respondents had two to five visits before diagnosis, and nearly 30% had more than five.
Clinical research for Acne is enrolling. See the current studies
Canadian care is organised by severity and which lesions are present. A health care team may discuss:
What suits one person will not suit another, and skin takes weeks to respond. These are decisions for you and your own clinician.
Acne is common, well studied and still not solved for the individual person. The Canadian clinical practice guideline dates from 2016 and sets out options by severity, but cannot say which suits any one person, and notes acne can persist into adulthood despite treatment. Canadian survey data show the cost: 87% of respondents reported scarring, 90% pigmentation changes, and 39% struggling with depression and anxiety. Research is working on new topical agents, reducing reliance on oral antibiotics given resistance, treating scarring and pigment change including in darker skin tones, and measuring the mental health impact.
Taking part is voluntary. You give informed consent first, and you can stop at any time without affecting the care you get from your own doctor. No one can say in advance whether a study will help you personally.
This page is written in plain language for people considering clinical research. It is general health information, not medical advice, and it does not replace a conversation with your own doctor or nurse practitioner.
No. The Canadian Dermatology Association describes acne as driven by hormonal changes that overstimulate the oil glands, together with a build-up of skin cells, and notes that having a parent with acne makes it more likely. Overwashing is on its list of things that aggravate acne, not things that help. On food, the association says specific foods may potentially play a role, which is a long way from saying diet causes acne. Pore-clogging cosmetics, pressure on the skin, heavy sweating, some medicines and picking or squeezing are the aggravating factors it names.
No. The Canadian Dermatology Association reports that more than 80% of people with acne are aged 12 to 24, but also that about 25% of teenagers still have acne at 25, and that 20% to 30% of adults aged 20 to 40 are affected. The Canadian clinical practice guideline notes acne can persist beyond young adulthood despite treatment. Adult acne is common enough that it is not a sign anything has gone wrong.
The Canadian Dermatology Association describes two kinds of scar, atrophic scars with tissue loss and indents, and hypertrophic scars with thickened tissue, and says the risk increases with the severity and duration of acne, with a family history of scarring, and with picking or squeezing the skin. In the 2022 Canadian patient survey, 87% of respondents reported scarring and 90% reported pigmentation changes. Procedures such as lasers, microneedling and fillers exist for scars that have already formed, and are usually paid for out of pocket. What any of that means in your case is a conversation for you and a clinician who can look at your skin.
RecruitingNeurological/Neurodegenerative · Depression
Sarnia & Hamilton, Ontario
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