Published 5 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2738
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:a2738

Practice

10-Minute Consultation

Acne vulgaris

Fiona Hamilton, GP and honorary clinical research fellow1, Josip Car, GP and director of e-health unit1, Alison Layton, consultant dermatologist2,3

1 Department of Primary Care and Social Medicine, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Campus, London W6 8RP, 2 Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, 3 North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust, Harrogate

Correspondence to: J Car josip.car@imperial.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A 17 year old woman comes to see you with a 12 month history of pimples and pustules on her face, with a few blackheads and no scarring. She says they are making her feel very self conscious and are affecting her A level studies and social life.

  • What other symptoms or signs does she have? Seborrhoea, irregular menses, weight gain, or hirsutism should alert you to polycystic ovarian syndrome.
  • Is she worried that her diet is causing her acne? Currently no conclusive evidence exists to confirm that foods such as chocolate contribute to acne, so it is a good opportunity to dispel myths and to discuss healthy eating in general.
  • Does she have any particular skin care regime? Often people with acne use aggressive cleaning products, which can aggravate the problem or cause irritation.
  • Is she taking any prescribed or over the counter treatments? Some treatments, particularly antiepilepsy drugs, . . . [Full text of this article]


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