Acne: a biopsychosocial and evolutionary perspective with a focus on shame

Hypotheses regarding the psychological factors implicated in the development and maintenance of acne first emerged in the middle of the eighteenth century. However, the psychodermatological literature from this date relating to acne has variously been described as confusing, overly prone to conjecture and, in particular, atheoretical. The current paper has two key objectives; first, to present a biopsychosocial model of acne development and maintenance and, secondly, to understand the psychosocial strain imposed by acne from an evolutionary perspective with a particular emphasis on body shame reactions.

The psychodermatological literature relating to acne is reviewed with the data analysed for potential biopsychosocial interactions and shame eliciting responses.

The review indicates that acne can be reconceptualized as a biopsychosocial phenomena which, in turn, provides the field with innovative hypotheses for empirical inquiry and the potential for expanding and evaluating treatment options. The evolutionary analysis illustrates that acne provides the potential for distressing body shame reactions due to the skin disease's potential for damaging self-other evaluations of attractiveness.

Acne has tended to be viewed as a minor dermatological complaint which imposes minimal psychological distress upon sufferers. The paper concludes that acne has the ability to elicit in some sufferers significant mental health concerns due to a heightened sense of shame relating to appearance.