Acne Dysmorphia

by Daniel W. Kern
updated about 1 year ago

Acne dysmorphia is a rare but debilitating mental illness, linked to body dysmorphic disorder, which manifests itself as a total preoccupation with a "deformity" of some kind, and is similar in psychiatric terms to Anorexia Nervosa.

Acne dysmorphia, put simply, is the obsessive thought that the sufferer's skin is irregular or disgusting. In most cases they do have acne, but even when the acne is very mild or even non-apparent, the person will believe that they have "horrible skin" or "terrible acne". A sufferer is usually not far from a mirror, and may obsessively and relentlessly check for imperfections.

Instead of seeking psychiatric help, the patient will often look to other avenues of recourse, sometimes self-inflicted and harmful. For instance, a person might pick at their imperfections until they tear away the skin and bleed. The extent of this disorder should not be underestimated. It can take over a person's life and ruin their chances for normal social interaction. Understandably, patients are often shy in telling their physician about their obsessive thoughts and behaviors. It is therefore important that the physician ask questions if acne dysmorphia is suspected. Left untreated, the disorder may manifest itself in the patient doing harm to himself or herself.

Not surprisingly, people with acne dysmorphia can be depressed. It is important that a person who suspects that he or she has acne dysmorphia consult a psychiatrist for possible treatment options. Some of the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) may help. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is often helpful as well.