Chelsea Lee
Medical Research Editor
WhereismyDoctor.com

Acne and Obesity Connection Found in Teen Girls

February 23rd, 2012

Obesity in the U.S. continues to become more and more common, affecting a broad range of Americans young and old. Reuters.com reports that obesity rates began rising steadily in the 1980's and 90's, and researchers expect obesity rates to continue to rise.

Higher incidence of obesity also means we will likely see an increase in heart disease and type two diabetes in the years to come.

New studies show that obesity may also play a role in the occurrence of acne in teenage girls. According to Reuters.com, a recent Norwegian study found that girls in their late teens who were overweight were twice as likely to have acne as their normal weight counterparts.

The study included about 3600 teenagers from Oslo who offered information about their own lifestyle, health, diet, weight, and pimples. The category of overweight and obese teenage girls revealed that 19 out of 100 experienced heavy acne within the past week, as compared to only 13 out of 100 normal weight teenage girls.

The study showed no difference in acne for teenage boys whether overweight or not.

Experts suggest that physiological factors such as high blood pressure, hormone level changes, and insulin resistance may be the link between obesity and acne.

Dr. Jon Halvorsen is the lead researcher of the study at Oslo University Hospital. He says, "Maybe changes in the level of insulin and other hormones are altered in overweight adolescents, and this can increase the formation of acne,"

So why is the correlation between obesity and acne only found in teenage girls and not boys? Dr. Halvorsen points out that "it is possible that polycystic ovarian syndrome can explain some of our findings," as obesity and acne are both symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Further research is necessary to discover whether or not any of the teenage girls who participated in the study may have polycystic ovarian syndrome.

It's no secret that diet is a major contributor to weight gain, and studies suggest certain food may also contribute to acne.

Dr. Nanette Silverberg, the director of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at St. Luke's, says "Whatever you think is bad for you, eating high-sugar foods, large amounts of carbohydrates, all these things have a negative long term effect on acne. And this is particularly true in the teenage years."

If diet is a definitive factor to obesity, and a possible factor to acne, it seems like a great starting point to fix both problems.

To learn more talk to a dermatologists in your area.

Reuters.com. Health: Overweight Linked to Acne in Teen Girls. Web. January 20, 2012.

Reuters.com. Health: Little Change in U.S. Obesity Rates in Recent Years. Web. January 17, 2012.

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