Mental health and psychological resilience among acne vulgaris patients during the pandemic: A cross-sectional controlled study.

Background The current literature has not yet addressed mental health among acne vulgaris (AV) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the psychological status of AV patients and analyze the influencing factors on psychological symptoms, during the pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included consecutively selected 220 eligible AV patients and 190 age/sex-matched healthy subjects. The Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for DSM-5, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Brief Resilience Scale, and the Stressful Life Events List resulting from the pandemic were administered to the participants. RESULTS: There were not significantly differences between the AV patients and the control group in terms of depression, anxiety, stress, psychological resilience levels, and experienced stressful life events. Probable PTSD rate was significantly higher for AV patients (16.4%) than the control groups (9.5%) (p = 0.040). High levels of depression and anxiety, low psychological resilience, and high levels in experienced traumatic life events predicted high severity in PTSD symptoms, whereas low psychological resilience predicted high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in AV patients. CONCLUSIONS: AV patients are at high risk of developing PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The obtained results highlight the need to assess their psychological state, in particular those with low psychological resilience.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed attitudes and behaviors concerning cosmetic care and procedures among patients presenting to the dermatology outpatient clinic? A multicenter study with 1437 participants.

BACKGROUND: The rate of cosmetic procedures and use of skincare products is considered to be affected during the pandemic period; however, this has not been investigated yet. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the ongoing pandemic has changed people's habits related to skincare products and cosmetic procedures. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter survey study covering both private and public hospitals. Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical diagnoses of the patients were noted by dermatologists. A survey was used to determine the type and application areas of skincare products and cosmetic procedures before and during the pandemic, whether the patients were concerned about being infected, and any change in the make-up habits of female patients. RESULTS: Of the 1437 patients, 86.7% presented to the hospital due to dermatological complaints and 13.3% for cosmetic procedures. The rate of those that did not use skincare products was 0.05% before and 0.06% during the pandemic. Of the participants, 43.2% had undergone cosmetic procedures before and 38.1% during the pandemic. For both periods, the most frequent cosmetic procedure applied was laser epilation, followed by skincare treatment and chemical peeling. While undergoing these procedures, 34.9% of the patients were concerned about contracting coronavirus. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in the use of skincare products and cosmetic procedures before and during the pandemic. The majority of the patients continued to undergo these procedures despite their fear of being infected. This shows that during the pandemic period, patients are concerned with their appearance and continue to undergo cosmetic procedures and pay attention to their skincare.