Background: The psychosocial aspects of the treatment of photodamaged skin have received little attention.
Objective: We prospectively examined the psychosocial correlates of the treatment of mildly to severely photodamaged skin.
Design: Sixty subjects (age, 53.3 +/- 1.3 years [mean +/- standard error]; 35 receiving retinoic acid and 25 the inactive vehicle) completed a battery of psychosocial ratings before starting therapy and after 24 weeks of therapy with retinoic acid or vehicle.
Results: Before therapy, the subjects had pathologically high obsessive-compulsiveness scores (measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory [BSI]). From before to after therapy, the retinoic acid group reported decreased obsessive-compulsiveness (BSI) (p = 0.01), and decreased phobic anxiety (BSI) (p = 0.04), whereas the vehicle group reported an increase (p < 0.05) in both these symptom dimensions.
Conclusion: High obsessive-compulsiveness (BSI), which is associated with excessive perfectionism and need for control, probably predisposed the subjects to seek treatment of their wrinkles. In the retinoic acid group but not the vehicle group there was an improvement in obsessive-compulsiveness and decreased anxiety in previously anxiety-provoking situations.