Sun Pharmaceutical's latest advice to teens? Take back your face. In its first acne awareness campaign, Sun looks to dispel misconceptions and empower young people ages 12 to 25 to take control of what is often a stigmatizing condition.
An online video in the “Take on Acne” campaign shows a young man with severe acne called to the front of a classroom to present a paper. As a female voice-over says, “When you have severe acne, you may feel like that’s all the world sees because you don’t just get breakouts, you get eruptions,” the teen boy’s face erupts into computer-generated patches of flames. The narrator ends with the affirmation, “You are not your acne.”
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Sun is targeting teens because 85% of people who have acne are adolescents, teens and young adults, and studies show that the condition correlates highly with negative psychosocial issues.
“Especially with younger folks, they become so withdrawn and so depressed by their acne that they can’t see past it. So our aim is to help them take control again and realize they have options. They can talk to folks about their disease and don’t have to do it on their own," Andy Nelson, Sun Dermatology VP of sales and marketing, said.
The effort, which is digital-focused with a website, social media, online digital video and audio, is also meant for teens who don’t have acne to understand the significant impact it has on the kids who do have it.
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Sun Dermatology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Pharma, markets treatments for acne, psoriasis and actinic keratosis. In acne, Sun’s Absorica is an oral drug approved to treat severe nodular acne.
“Acne is many times passed over as something that people just deal with as kids and get through and grow out of it. But that’s not necessarily how it is,” Nelson said.