Abstract: Objective To characterize the skin physiology function of patients with acne and to facilitate its treatment. Methods Sixty patients with acne （20 males and 40 females） and 60 healthy human controls （20 males and 40 females） were included into this study. The average age of patients and controls was 23.4 years and 25.1 years, respectively. Sebumeter was used to detect the sebum secretion in the following areas: forehead, nose, right and left cheeks, Cutometer?誖 MPA580 to measure the skin elasticity, and Scalar Moisture Checker to test the skin hydration on right and left cheeks. Results A significant increase was observed in the level of sebum secretion in the T-zones（199.98 ± 58.21 μg/cm2 vs 117.55 ± 63.16 μg/cm2, t = 7.34, P < 0.05） as well as in the cheeks（154.45 ± 55.06 μg/cm2 vs 87.50 ± 47.36 μg/cm2, t = 7.14, P < 0.05） in the patients compared with the controls. However, the level of skin elasticity and hydration was of no significant difference between the patients and controls （0.7931 ± 0.0755R vs 0.7882 ± 0.0498R, 30.75% ± 3.87% vs 30.94% ± 2.91%, respectively, both P > 0.05）. Conclusion Facial sebum secretion is increased in patients with acne.

Key words: acne, no-invasive skin physiometry, skin barrier function, skin sebum, skin elasticity, skin moisture