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Acne Awareness Month: Skin health and medical cannabis
Acne Awareness Month: Skin health and medical cannabis
7 min read
Patrick Bawn
Many of us are likely to be affected by acne at some point in our lives.
For some people, it will only lead to the odd breakout here and there. But for others, it can be a much longer-term battle that impacts far more than just the skin. This is why raising awareness is so important.
For this year’s Acne Awareness Month, we’re having a closer look at the latest statistics around the condition, assessing the impact it can have on day-to-day life and highlighting some of the best ways to support your skin health.
Contents
What is Acne Awareness Month?
As its name suggests, Acne Awareness Month is a global initiative to raise awareness of acne, a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that happens when the hair follicles under the skin become clogged, resulting in spots and oily skin.
The monthly event takes place in June each year, and sets out three main objectives:
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Improve awareness of acne as a condition
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Share trusted resources and information with those affected and involved in its care
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Break down the stigma that so many people living with the condition still experience
Since acne is such a common issue, it’s often seen as something minor that will go away over time.
Acne Awareness Month helps set the record straight, supporting those who have to manage its symptoms day in, day out.
How common is acne in the UK?
Acne is estimated to affect approximately 95% of people aged between 11 and 30 years old and is the eighth most common skin disease worldwide.
In the UK specifically, it’s one of the most common skin conditions, with the country in the top 10 globally for diagnoses in adolescents and young people.
In other words, acne is a very well-known issue that affects a lot of people both at home and around the world.
What impact does living with acne have?
While it’s easy to think acne only affects the skin, there is so much more attached to it than that.
For example, the condition is estimated to result in 3.5 million visits to the doctor every year.
It also leads to an average spend of £738 per person per year for those affected, due to the need for over-the-counter products and prescription medicines.
But time and money aside, the condition is also known to have a huge impact physically, psychologically and emotionally.
The physical impact of acne
From a physical perspective, living with acne is known to cause various symptoms across the face, back and chest.
It can also result in various types of spots, including:
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Blackheads that are small and either black or yellow
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Whiteheads that are firm and don’t empty when squeezed
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Small, red papules that feel tender or sore
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Pustules (caused by a build-up of pus)
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Large, hard lumps called nodules
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Pus-filled lumps known as cysts
In more severe cases of acne, the spots that develop can eventually lead to permanent scarring, which is why receiving effective early support is so important to preventing further issues.
The emotional and psychological impact of acne
The effects of acne aren’t just skin deep.
Living with the symptoms mentioned above can leave a lasting impact on emotional factors like confidence, embarrassment and self-esteem as well.
For some people, the condition may even contribute towards other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression and low mood.
There’s also a big catch-22 relationship between stress and acne. While feeling stressed can trigger or worsen flare-ups, having to deal with those flare-ups can become a source of stress in itself.
Which treatments are available to support skin health and prevent acne?
The good news is that acne is a very treatable condition, with a variety of options available.
Finding the right approach will depend on the type of acne you have and how severe it is, but they generally include things like:
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topical treatments, like over-the-counter creams or gels that contain benzoyl peroxide
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prescription medicines (like topical retinoids or topical antibiotics)
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antibiotics
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azelaic acid
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combined contraceptive pill (for women)
Alongside these treatments, dermatologists will often recommend implementing simple lifestyle habits to support your skin’s overall health.
Whether that’s washing your face instead of scrubbing it, leaving spots alone (as tempting as they may be to pop!), or finding ways to manage your stress, these small changes could help make a difference to how your skin looks and feels.
Can medical cannabis treatments support skin conditions like acne?
Research into the relationship between acne and medical cannabis remains fairly limited. But some early results are showing some promise.
First things first, though. To help us understand the latest developments, we need a quick biology lesson. Welcome to Dermatology 101.
Our skin contains part of the endocannabinoid system, the complex cell-signalling network responsible for keeping our skin healthy by regulating important bodily processes like inflammation and oil (sebum) production.
Since acne is driven by these factors, and often causes oily, inflamed skin, researchers have started to explore whether cannabinoids contained in medical cannabis could offer a supporting role.
What does clinical research tell us about CBD and acne?
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been the main cannabinoid of clinical interest over recent years, largely due to its proposed anti-inflammatory properties.
Back in 2014, for example, a landmark study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation found that CBD appeared to reduce the production of sebum and calm inflammation.
This was later supported by the results of a 2022 review, which again highlighted its anti-inflammatory properties and cited a potential future for it as an acne treatment due to its favourable safety profile.
Fast forwarding a few years, a 2025 systematic review published in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics recently focused on how CBD is actually delivered into the skin.
After analysing 16 studies and 18 patents, the researchers found that newer, nanotechnology-based delivery systems significantly improved how well CBD penetrates and absorbs into the skin when administered as a topical cream.
In other words, the studies show it’s not just about whether CBD works. It’s also about how we get it where it needs to go to deliver its potential benefits.
But maintaining perspective here is important.
Many of the studies so far have been relatively small, so many more, larger-scale human trials are needed before we can draw any firm conclusions.
The research landscape is constantly evolving too, so if you’re keen to keep up with the latest clinical evidence around medical cannabis and acne, check out our detailed guide.
Feel comfortable in your own skin this #AcneAwarenessMonth
While acne may be an incredibly common skin condition, that doesn't make it any easier to actually live with. That’s why raising awareness is so important, to remind those who are affected that they’re not on their own.
By breaking down the stigma and recognising the physical, emotional and psychological impact that living with acne can have, we can help more people feel supported throughout June’s Acne Awareness Month, and beyond.
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Acne Awareness Month: Skin health and medical cannabis
Acne is estimated to affect approximately 95% of people aged between 11 and 30 years old and is the eighth most common skin disease worldwide. In the UK specifically, it’s one of the most common skin conditions, with the country in the top 10 globally for diagnoses in adolescents and young people. Our skin contains part of the endocannabinoid system, the complex cell-signalling network responsible for keeping our skin healthy by regulating important bodily processes like inflammation and oil (sebum) production.
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