How To Assist Your Teenager In Coping With The Frequently Catastrophic Problem Of Acne

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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It could very well appear fairly trivial to most people however to a teenager the onset of acne can all too often seem like the end of the world. Almost all teenagers will get acne at some point and, in many cases, it is reasonably mild and more of a nuisance than anything else. In other cases however acne can be severe and result in a negative body image and even serious depression. In all cases however there are various steps which you can take to help your teenager to deal with the problems of acne.

One significant problem with acne is the fact that there are many myths about acne which your child is very likely to hear in school or to pick up on things like the Internet. You need to therefore begin by arming yourself with the truth and here are several of the principle facts about exactly what causes acne and what sort of things can actually make an attack of acne worse:

* Genetics � some children are simply more prone to acne than others no matter what they do.

* Too much scrubbing � many teenagers think than cleaning their skin well will help to rid them of acne. While cleanliness is ...
... undoubtedly important, scrubbing the skin too hard can cause problems with existing spots and also cause them to spread.

* Popping pimples � the majority of kids cannot resist the temptation to squeeze their spots and this is one thing which we can probably all understand. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this may seem to make things look better in the short term, it is only going to make things worse in the longer term.

* Diet � the exact connection between diet and acne is not well understood just at the moment but there is little doubt diet has an effect on acne.

* Stress � when we are under stress the chemical balance in our bodies is upset and this can add to the problems of teenage acne.

* Makeup � a lot of children, of both sexes, will attempt to use makeup to hide their acne. This can however produce problems both in terms of the skin's ability to breathe properly and of acne reacting to the makeup chosen.

The first thing which your children need to understand is that acne is a natural part of the process of growing up and, particularly, of the hormonal changes which are going on within their bodies. They also have to understand that some teenagers will be affected more than others and that, whether they are lucky or not, this is merely a phase which will pass in time.

Next, you teenagers need to be taught proper skin care and this is best done at an early age, and before acne appears if possible. However, if acne has already reared its ugly head it is not too late and skin care is something which they need to learn and practice.

Teenagers should wash their face each morning and again each evening with a mild soap and, when acne appears, with a specially formulated 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 sufficient and that, although they might be tempted to wash more frequently this can actually dry the skin and make matters worse.

Washing with acne soap will frequently be enough, although this will not work overnight and your children need to be persistent and patient. Where this does not do the trick however you will need to talk to your doctor or consult a dermatologist. Your doctor or dermatologist might well recommend a stronger prescription medicine which your child will again need to use for some considerable period of time before it does the trick.

Without question, the most important step you can take in helping your child to cope with acne is to begin early. Your child might well be embarrassed by the appearance of acne and you might feel reluctant to step in and try to help if they have only a spot or two. However, starting treatment early can frequently knock the problem on the head and stop it from developing into a surprisingly serious problem.