Acne in ethnic skin: epidemiology, aetiopathogenesis and clinical manifestations – Part 1

Acne vulgaris remains one of the most prevalent dermatological disorders globally and is the most common skin complaint in patients with ethnic skin. Although the pathogenic factors leading to acne vulgaris are similar in all Fitzpatrick skin phototypes, there are conflicting reports as to whether certain characteristics, such as sebum production and sebaceous gland size, differ in people with ethnic skin. While the same clinical lesions occur in all patients, acne in ethnic skin is associated with a much greater degree of inflammation, even within lesions previously thought of as ‘non- inflammatory’. The heightened inflammatory response, combined with other characteristics of ethnic skin, leads to more persistent hyperpigmentation and severe scarring.