How To Assist Your Teenager In Dealing With The Problem Of Acne
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 the fact that there are several myths about acne which your child is very 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 several of the main facts about just what causes acne and what can make an attack of acne worse:
* Genetics - some children are simply more susceptible to acne than others no matter what they do.
* Too much scrubbing - a surprising number of children think than cleaning their skin well will help to rid them of acne. Although cleanliness is unquestionable important, scrubbing the skin too hard can both cause problems with existing spots and also result in their spread.
* Squeezing pimples - most teenagers cannot resist the temptation to pop their spots and this is one thing which we can probably all understand. However, although this may appear to make things look better in the short term, it will only cause more problems in the longer 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 find ourselves under stress the normal chemical balance in our bodies becomes unbalanced and this can add to the problems of teen acne.
* Makeup - many children, of both sexes, will try to use makeup to cover their acne. However, this can cause problems both in terms of the inability of the skin to breathe adequately and of acne reacting to the makeup used.
The first thing that your children need to understand is that acne is a natural part of the process of growing up and, in particular, of the hormonal changes which are going on within their bodies. They must also understand that some children will be affected more than others and that, whether or not they are one of the lucky ones, this is just a phase that will pass in time.
Next, you children need to be taught proper skin care and this is best done at an early age, and before acne arrives if at all possible. However, if acne has already reared its ugly head it is not too late and this is something which they must both learn and practice.
Teenagers need to wash their face in the morning and again in the evening with a mild soap and, once acne appears, with a specially formulated acne soap that can be bought over-the counter at most supermarkets or drug stores. One important point here is that washing twice a day is sufficient and that, although they may be tempted to wash more often this can actually dry the skin and make matters 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.
Unquestionably, the most important step which you can take towards helping your child to cope with acne is to begin early. Your teenager may well be embarrassed by the arrival of acne and you may feel reluctant to step in and try to help if they have only a pimple or two. However, starting treatment early can frequently stop the problem in its tracks and prevent it from growing into a serious problem.