If you’ve ever felt like your acne significantly impacts your mood, this one’s for you: According to a new study in the British Journal of Dermatology, there’s a scientific link between acne and depression.
The New York Times reports that the 15-year study followed 134,427 men and women with acne and 1,731,608 without, the majority of which were under 19-years-old when the study began.
According to the results of the study, the likelihood of developing major depression was 18.5 percent among patients with acne and 12 percent in those without. Risk of depression among the subjects continued for five years after acne first appeared but was highest in the first year of diagnosis with a 63 percent increased risk of depression among those suffering from acne compared to those who weren’t.
The study also found that acne suffers were most likely to be female, younger, nonsmokers and of higher socioeconomic status but were less likely to use alcohol or be obese.
“It appears that acne is a lot more than just skin deep,” lead author, Isabelle A. Vallerand, an epidemiologist at the University of Calgary, said of the results. “It can have a substantial impact on overall mental health.”
