Assessment of thyroid function and lipid profile in patients with postadolescent acne in a Mediterranean population from Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Postadolescent acne is defined as acne that is seen even after the age of 25 years, regardless of the age at onset. The causes of postadolescent acne have not been completely clarified up to now. Androgens are considered to be the major factor involved in pathogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the status of thyroid functions and lipid levels in patients with postadolescent acne and determine the effects of lifestyle and environmental factors on postadolescent acne in a Turkish population.

METHODS: In total, 184 patients and 82 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Thyroid function and lipid profiles of all participants were analyzed.

RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 30.4 ± 4.9 years (25-50). The mean age of control group was 30.0 ± 4.4 years (25-40). Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with postadolescent acne (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between patients with postadolescent acne and control subjects in triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, thyroid hormone profiles, and thyroid ultrasound scans. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly decreased with postadolescent acne (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the thyroid functions and lipid profile in men and women with postadolescent acne. In this study, there was no relationship between thyroid functions and postadolescent acne. However, an association with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and postadolescent acne was detected. Further investigations with more patients in different populations are needed to determine the causes of postadolescent acne.