https://phlox.or.id/index.php/sjdv <p><strong>Scientific Journal of Dermatology and Venereology (SJDV)</strong> is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to dermatology, venereology, and aesthetic medicine, published twice a year (March and September) by Phlox Institute: Indonesian Medical Research Organization. It publishes original research articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, case reports and case series, brief communications, clinical images, letters to the editor, and invited editorials, each subject to editorial (desk) evaluation, plagiarism screening, and independent expert peer review in accordance with the standards of COPE, ICMJE, and WAME. As a fully open-access journal, SJDV makes all articles freely available immediately upon publication; authors retain copyright under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence, and every article is assigned a DOI to ensure persistent access and citation (e-ISSN 3025-6208).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Phlox Institute: Indonesian Medical Research Organization en-US Scientific Journal of Dermatology and Venereology 3025-6208 <p><strong>Scientific Journal of Dermatology and Venereology (SJDV) </strong>allow the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and&nbsp; allow the author(s) to retain publishing rights without restrictions, also the owner of the commercial rights to the article&nbsp; is&nbsp; the author.</p> https://phlox.or.id/index.php/sjdv/article/view/266 <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Introduction: </strong>Acne vulgaris is increasingly recognized as a skin-barrier disease, yet data linking facial hydration to graded severity in tropical Asian young adults are scarce. This study aimed to determine the association between facial skin hydration and acne vulgaris severity in Indonesian university students.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional analytic study, 33 students aged 17–25 years with acne vulgaris were enrolled by purposive sampling at a Surabaya dermatology clinic. Facial stratum corneum hydration was measured by capacitance and classed as dry (&lt;35%), normal (35–50%) or moist (&gt;50%); severity was graded by the Lehmann/Indonesian Acne Expert Meeting criteria. Associations were tested with chi-square, odds ratios, Spearman correlation, multivariable logistic regression and receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Results: </strong>Participants were predominantly female (69.7%); 54.5% had dry skin and 60.6% had moderate acne, with no severe cases. Lower hydration was significantly associated with greater severity (χ²=9.641, p=0.008; Cramér’s V=0.541). Dry skin conferred ten-fold higher odds of moderate acne (OR=10.00, 95% CI 1.94–51.54), and each 10% reduction in moisture independently raised the odds (adjusted OR=3.87, 95% CI 1.39–10.72, p=0.009). Facial moisture discriminated moderate acne well (AUC=0.792; Spearman ρ=−0.536, p=0.001).</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lower facial hydration is independently associated with more severe acne, supporting barrier-directed, non-comedogenic moisturization as an adjunct in acne care for Fitzpatrick III–V skin.</span></p> Febriana Stefani Nurhadi Irwin Priyatna Kusumah Copyright (c) 2026 Febriana, Stefani Nurhadi, Irwin Priyatna Kusumah https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2026-05-29 2026-05-29 3 2 67 74 10.59345/sjdv.v3i2.266