الفهرس 
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Abstract
Summary
Aim of the study:
To identify the prevalence of acne vulgaris in medical students of Beni-Suef University and to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding self-medication for acne vulgaris in medical students.
Subjects and Methods:
The study was an analyticalcross-sectional study conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Beni-SuefUniversity. The study was undertaken using a self-administratedquestionnaire prepared in English language.
This study revealed the following:
• The mean ageof the studied participants was (20.68±1.57). Females represented 52.8% compared to 47.2%of the males’ participants.The majority of the studied participants were in the fifth year of their bachelor’s degree course (24.9%), followed by second year students (20.8%).
• The prevalence of acne in our studied participants was found to be 72.66%.
• In 50.7% of students, the acne was mostly present on the face. Face and back were the second most common location, with 21.5% of students, followed by ”face, chest, and back” with 15.0% of students.
• Prevalence of Self-Medication for Acne was 85.1%.
• The most frequently used drugs for Self-Medication for acne were Allopathy (49.2%) followed by Home-made remedies (21.9%) and Ayuvedic medication (15.8%).
• The primary explanation for self-medicating for acne was the mild nature of the disease (40.4%), followed by knowing the treatment from previous prescription (21.2%).
• The most prevalent source of information about self-medication for acne among the studied participants was friends.
• The largest percentage of the studied participants know the dosage (67.3%), mechanism (58.9%), Precautions (71.4%), complications (64.0%), side effects (63.0%), and contraindications (56.6%).
• More than two thirds of students reported that self-medication is a part of self-care (72.7%). More than one half of students reported that they would give advice to friends for self-medication. About 88.6% of students were with the opinion that they would consult a dermatologist before starting treatment. About 88.9% reported that follow up for acne treatment is important. About two thirds of the students preferred the topical medication (66.6%).
• About (70.4 %) of participants reported reading the drug label instructions before using acne medications. Moreover, 70.4%) of participants reported that they read the expiry date before using acne medicines. Furthermore, (65.9%) of the students who do not read the expiration date reported that the cause is no need to read it.Finally, the availability of self-medications at home was reported by 53.2% of students.
• Female students had a significantly higher prevalence of self-medication for acne (91.3%)compared to male students (77.1%) (P= 0.001).
• The mean knowledge score forfemale (4.07 ±2.31)is significantly higher than the mean knowledge score ofmales (3.41 ±2.14) (P= 0.013).
Based on the previous findings we recommend the followings
Health education: educational programs can be developed to increase awareness among medical students about the risks and benefits of self-medication.
Monitoring of medication use: Institutions can monitor medication use among medical students to identify potential issues related to self-medication, such as medication abuse or overuse.
Collaboration with healthcare professionals: Institutions can collaborate with healthcare professionals to develop and implement strategies to reduce self-medication among medical students.
Access to healthcare: Medical students should have access to healthcare services that provide appropriate medical attention and advice for acne treatment. This can include access to dermatologists and other healthcare professionals who can provide accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations.