Teenagers believe their appearance is the single most important issue in their lives yet the majority of young people with acne do not seek a doctor’s advice for this common and treatable medical condition.

 According to a UK study of about 1500 people - comprising teenagers (13-17 years of age) and their parents - the finding is just one of a number of surprising, often contradictory, results related to our perceptions about acne.

 The study found that while the majority of teenagers’ rank appearance as more important than their social lives or education, they did not think their acne was serious enough to warrant the doctors’ time.

Yet teenagers said they would give up Facebook for a year, drop grades at school or even take a parent to their high school formal if it meant they didn’t have to suffer with acne.

About a third of teenagers said they did not like seeing photos or videos of themselves – a significant barrier to participation and enjoyment of social media.

Some 70 per cent of teenage girls had used concealers or other make-up to cover their acne and many said they had altered photos of themselves to disguise their acne.

Unfortunately, parents of teenagers tended to underestimate the impact that acne has on their children. Parents are still more concerned about issues such as academic success and their children’s participation in sports and other activities.