How To Help Your Teenager To Cope With The Frequently Catastrophic Problem Of Acne

Teenage acne can seem like the end of the world when you are 17 but there is a great deal that parents can do to help their kids through this normal part of growing up.

It may well seem fairly trivial to some people however to a teenager the appearance of acne can all too often seem like the end of the world. Nearly all teenagers will get acne at some time and, in a lot of cases, it is quite mild and nothing more than a nuisance. In other cases however acne can be severe and produce a negative body image and occasionally even serious depression. In all cases however there are a number of steps that you can take to assist your teenager in coping with the difficulties posed by acne.

A major problem with acne is the fact that there are several myths about acne which your child is likely to hear at school or to pick up on things like the Internet. You must therefore begin by arming yourself with the facts and here are a few the main facts about exactly what causes acne and what sort of things can actually make an acne attack worse:

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

* Too much scrubbing � a lot of children think than cleaning their skin well will help to rid them of acne. While cleanliness is unquestionable important, scrubbing the skin too hard can cause problems for existing spots and also result in their spread.

* Squeezing pimples � the majority of teenagers cannot resist the temptation to squeeze their pimples and this is something which I think we can all understand. However, despite the fact that this may seem to help things look better in the short term, it will only cause more problems in the long term.

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

* Stress � when we find ourselves suffering from stress the normal chemical balance in our bodies is disturbed and this can add to the problems of teen acne.

* Makeup � a lot of children, of both sexes, will attempt to use makeup to cover their acne. This can however cause problems both in terms of the skin's ability to breathe properly and of acne reacting to the chemicals contained within the makeup used.

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

Next, you children need to be taught proper skin care and this is best done from an early age, and before acne arrives if possible. However, if acne has already reared its ugly head it is still not too late and this is one thing that they must learn and practice.

Teenagers should wash their face in the morning and again in the evening with a mild soap and, once acne arrives, with a specially formulated acne soap that can be bought over-the counter at the majority of supermarkets or drug stores. An important point to remember here is that washing twice a day is sufficient and that, desite the fact that they may be tempted to wash more frequently this can actually dry the skin and make their acne worse.

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

Unquestionably, the most important step which you can take towards helping your child to deal with acne is to begin early. Your child may well be embarrassed by the arrival of acne and you may be reluctant to step in and assist if they have only a pimple or two. However, beginning treatment early can frequently stop the problem in its tracks and stop it from developing into a serious condition.

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