Correlates of health-related quality of life in women with severe facial blemishes

Background Facial appearance plays a large role in self-perception and interaction with others. Visible facial skin lesions are a common condition. Purpose This study assessed factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in women with visible facial skin lesions. Methods The study included 73 women with one or more of the following conditions: acne, dermatosis papulosis, hypopigmentation, lentigenes, melasma, rosacea, vascular proliferations and other facial scars. The Skindex-16 was used as a measure of HRQOL. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) was assessed to determine whether self-perception characteristics relate to HRQOL. Results There were strong correlations in both bivariate and multivariate analyses among increased FNE, heightened perception of QOL without the facial condition and lower overall HRQOL (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). There were no differences in HRQOL by type of facial condition, as well as no effects of the area covered by the condition on HRQOL. Interestingly, women not using foundations represented only 10% of the study population and had better HRQOL than women who did use foundations. Conclusions Severe facial blemishes of any cause have a significant impact on women's QOL, and the effect of these lesions is mediated in part by psychological characteristics related to self-perception and self-presentation.