CORRELATION BETWEEN ACNE AND EATING CHOCOLATE IN TABUK CITY, SAUDI ARABIA.

Background: Acne is one of the most prevalent diseases in dermatology clinics and it is a multifactorial illness. There has been a remarkable paucity of proof for an association between chocolate and acne. However, studies in recent years have corroborated a link between cocoa intake and acne. Objectives: Acne patients were surveyed to assess their knowledge in the link between chocolate consumption and acne. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia at the dermatology department of King Khalid hospital, among 100 subjects, during a period from June to August 2016. Patients who are complaining from the acne or had a previous history with acne were kindly requested to participate in a questionnaire about the link between chocolate consumption and acne. Results: (49%) of respondents believed that chocolate could affect acne, (60%) they tried to change chocolate eating habit to reduce acne exacerbation, (43%) they found improvement due to reducing chocolate intake per day. The majority of respondents (42%) believed that greasy food didn't contribute to their acne and (76%) thought that an oily skin more risk to develop acne once consumption chocolate. Conclusion: Based on the available evidence, it shows that the majority believes in the chocolate as an acne trigger. We recommend working on randomized control studies in order to assess the cocoa effect on acne exacerbation and to elucidate the proposed mechanisms linking chocolate and acne.