incidence

Last edited 05/2023 and last reviewed 05/2023

The condition is most common in teenagers with about 60% affected sufficiently to seek treatment. The peak incidence is seen in females aged 14-17 years and in males aged 16-19 years (1).

  • is most prevalent among young people and younger adults, affecting approximately 80% of people at some time between 11 and 30 years (2)
  • up to 95% of adolescents in Western industrialized countries are affected by acne to some extent - 20 to 35% develop moderate or severe acne (3)

This age group is not affected exclusively:

  • about 5% of women and 1% of men aged 25-40 years either continues to get acne lesions or they may develop late-onset acne. The prevalence in this age group is believed to be increasing (1).

Presentation in infancy occurs rarely.

Reference: