Ways You Can Help Your Teenager To Deal With The Problem Of Acne
Saturday, August 30th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
It might very well appear quite trivial to many people however to a teenager the appearance of acne can often seem to be the end of the world. Almost all teenagers will suffer from acne at some time and, in a lot of cases, it is quite mild and more of a nuisance than anything else. However, in other cases acne can be severe and produce a poor body image and even serious depression. In all cases however there are several steps that you can take to assist your teenager to cope with the problems of acne.
One significant problem with acne is that there are various myths about acne which your teenager is likely to hear in school or to pick up on such things as the Internet. You need to therefore start by arming yourself with the truth and here are a few the principle facts about precisely what causes acne and what can actually make an attack of acne worse:
* Genetics - some kids are quite simply more susceptible to acne no matter what they do.
* Too much scrubbing - many children think than cleaning their skin well will help to rid them of acne. While cleanliness is unquestionable important, scrubbing the skin too vigorously can cause problems for existing spots and also cause them to spread.
* Squeezing pimples - many kids cannot resist the temptation to squeeze their pimples and this is something which I think we can probably all understand. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this may seem to make things look better in the short term, it will only make things worse in the long term.
* Diet - the precise link between acne and diet is not terribly well understood just at the moment but there is little doubt diet has an effect on acne.
* Stress - whenever we are suffering from stress the chemical balance in our bodies is upset and this can add to the problems of teen acne.
* Makeup - many children, both girls and boys, will try to use makeup to cover their acne. However, this can cause problems both in terms of the skin’s ability to breathe adequately and of acne reacting to the makeup chosen.
The first thing that your teenagers need to understand is that acne is a natural part of growing up and, in particular, of the hormonal changes which their bodies are undergoing. They must also understand that some children will suffer more than others and that, whether or not they are lucky, this is simply a phase which will pass given time.
Next, you children have to be taught proper skin care and this is best done from an early age, and before the arrival of acne if possible. However, if acne has already reared its ugly head it is still not too late and this is something that they need to learn and practice.
Teenagers need to wash their face each morning and again each evening with a mild soap and, when acne arrives, with a special acne soap which can be bought over-the counter at the majority of supermarkets or drug stores. One important point here is that washing twice a day is quite sufficient and that, although they may be tempted to wash more often this can dry the skin and make their acne worse.
Over-the-counter acne soaps and washing will frequently do the trick, although this is not an instant cure and your kids need to be persistent and patient. Where this does not do the trick however you will need to talk to your doctor or dermatologist. Your doctor or dermatologist might well recommend a stronger prescription medication which your child will again need to use for quite some considerable period of time before it does the trick.
Undoubtedly, the most important step you can take towards assisting your teenager to cope with acne is to start early. Your child may well be embarrassed by the arrival of acne and you may be reluctant to step in and try to assist if they have only a spot or two. However, starting treatment early can often knock the problem on the head and prevent it from developing into a serious condition.
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