*** June is National Acne Awareness Month ***
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR PARENTS: NEW NATIONAL SURVEY FINDS PERCEPTION IS REALITY WHEN IT COMES TO TEENS WITH ACNE
Are People Judging Your Child Based on the Appearance of their Skin? Learn How You Can Help
DIANE BERSON, MD, FAAD, Dermatologist, American Acne and Rosacea Society, Public Relations Chair; Assistant
Professor, Weill Medical College of Cornell University; Assistant Attending Dermatologist, New York-Presbyterian
Hospital,
EVA RITVO, MD Psychiatrist; Co-Author of The Beauty Prescription
Background:
Many teens view their acne as an unfortunate and embarrassing part of growing up. But did you know that those pesky
pimples may be causing others to jump to conclusions about you? Results from a new survey released today by the
American Acne and Rosacea Society revealed startling truths about how teens are viewed based solely on the state of
their skin.
The survey asked 1,000 teens and 1,000 adults to offer their impressions of teens based solely on photos of their
face with clear skin and digitally enhanced to simulate acne. The results found that teens with acne are
automatically associated with certain characteristics. In addition, when asked about their own acne, many teens
revealed the lengths they would go to in order to get rid of the condition forever. Select results include:
Those with clear skin were more commonly described as happy, intelligent and self-confident, among other
desirable traits.
In contrast, teens with acne were more likely to be seen as followers than leaders.
More than half of teens (59%) would stay off Facebook for an entire year if it meant theyd get rid of their acne
forever.
A bold 13% would actually pick one of their parents as a prom date to be zit-free for life!
Dr. Diane Berson, a dermatologist and a founding board member of the American Acne and Rosacea Society, and Dr. Eva
Ritvo, psychiatrist, author and co-developer of the survey will be available for interview on June 11. They will
reveal the surprising survey results, discuss the psychological impact and offer tips on how parents can break the
cycle of treating acne as a minor inconvenience, rather than a medical condition that can easily be treated.
For More Information, please visit: www.AcneSociety.org.
More About Drs. Berson and Ritvo: Diane S. Berson, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Weill Medical
College of Cornell University and an Assistant Attending Dermatologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She has a
private practice in NYC. Dr. Ritvo is vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Mount
Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach. She has made several television appearances, including the TODAY show and EXTRA{enclose diane_berson_eva_ritvo.mp4}
