Acne vulgaris has been associated with deficits in psychological well-being and healthrelated
quality of life. Few studies have investigated how stigma contributes to our understanding
of the well-being of acne sufferers, although it is clear that acne is stigmatized and
stigmatization is associated with impaired well-being. The current study aimed to investigate
the ability of perceived stigma to predict health-related quality of life, psychological distress,
and somatic symptoms over and above established predictors. University students and staff
suffering from acne completed self-report measures online. Hierarchical multiple regression
analyses showed that perceived stigma significantly contributed to the prediction of all three
well-being measures, over and above the effects of gender, acne severity, acne location,
and use of medication. Indeed, perceived stigma made the largest unique contribution to
predicting well-being. Our findings suggest that interventions that attempt to counter stigma
could also improve the overall well-being of people affected by acne
