Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and the perceptions of acne among adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, carried out from May 2018 to May 2019. Data were collected through a questi-onnaire administered to students aged 13 to 20 years enrolled in two schools, with 793 participants (462 from a public school and 331 from a private school). Data were evaluated by Pearsons chi-square test, Yates test and Students t tests. RESULTS: The mean age was 15.02±1.25 years in the private school, and 16.21±1.45 years (p=0.07) in the public school. In the private school, 75.8% of adolescents had acne, against 79.6% from the public (p=0.08). In the private school, 54.7% consulted a doctor due to acne, against 45.8% in the public school (p<0.0001). More public-school students did not think it was necessary to see a doctor for acne than in the private school (67.8% vs 32.2% - p<0.0001). More public-school students responded that mites cause acne. The perception that hormonal contraceptives worsened acne was present in 42% of the students from the public school and in 28.4% from the private (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents had incorrect perceptions about acne, especially those from public schools, who also had less access to medical care.