Adult Acne Increases Risk Of Eating Disorders

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 30, 2025.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 — People with acne are at increased risk of developing an eating disorder, a new study says.

Adult acne patients are 2.4 times more likely to have an eating disorder, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Even after accounting for a history of mood disorders or body image disorder, acne was tied to a 65% increased risk of an eating disorder, researchers found.

“We found that acne was associated with a higher likelihood of having an eating disorder in adults from across the United States,” study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, director of the Psoriasis Treatment Program at Yale School of Medicine, said in prepared remarks.

“Our findings will help physicians caring for individuals with acne to be attentive to signs of eating disorders to provide holistic and comprehensive care to patients,” he added.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 7,400 patients with acne, comparing them to more than 207,000 people without acne.

“Our findings substantiate the relevance of acne as a potential risk factor for eating disorders,” researchers wrote.

“In patients with existing psychological risk factors, acne might serve as a stimulus that further elevates concerns about appearances and triggers cognitive biases (e.g. overestimating body size) and behaviors (e.g. restricting eating) that are theorized to underlie the development of eating disorders,” researchers continued.

Cohen emphasized that this study only included adults 18 or older, even though acne and eating disorders are thought to mainly impact teenagers.

“This may underscore the importance of acne as a risk factor for eating disorders and future research should include people of all ages,” Cohen said. “We strongly encourage anyone experiencing signs or symptoms of an eating disorder, regardless of whether that person also has acne, to seek professional care.”

Sources

  • Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, April 16, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-05-01 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords