Ways You Can Help Your Teenager To Cope With The Often Cataclysmic Problem Of Acne

It may very well appear quite trivial to most people however to a teenager the appearance of acne can often seem to be the end of the world. Nearly all teenagers will get acne at some point and, in many cases, it is relatively mild and more of a nuisance than anything else. However, in other cases acne can be severe and lead to a poor body image and occasionally even serious depression. In every case however there are several steps which you can take to help your teenager to cope with the problems posed by acne.

One major problem with acne is that there are many 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 facts and here are several of the principle facts about precisely what causes acne and what can actually make an attack of acne worse:

* Genetics – some children are quite simply more prone to acne no matter what they do.

* Too much scrubbing – a surprising number of children think than cleaning their skin well will help in getting rid of acne. While cleanliness is undoubtedly important, scrubbing the skin too hard can both cause problems with existing spots and also cause them to spread.

* Squeezing pimples – the majority of children cannot resist the temptation to squeeze their spots and this is one thing which we can all understand. However, in spite of the fact that this may appear to make things look better in the short term, it is only going to make things worse in the long term.

* Diet – the exact connection 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 are suffering from stress the chemical balance in our bodies becomes unbalanced and this can contribute to the problems of teenage acne.

* Makeup – many children, both girls and boys, will try to use makeup to hide their acne. However, this can cause problems both in terms of the skin's ability to breathe properly and of acne reacting to the makeup used.

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

Next, your children have to be taught proper skin care and this is best done from an early age, and before acne appears if possible. However, if acne has already reared its ugly head it is not too late and this is something that they must learn and practice.

Teenagers should wash their face in the morning and again in the evening with a mild soap and, when acne arrives, with a special acne soap which can be purchased over-the counter at most supermarkets or drug stores. One important point to remember here is that washing two times a day is quite sufficient and that, desite the fact that they may be tempted to wash more frequently this can 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 children will need to be patient and persistent. If this does not do the trick however you will need to talk to your doctor or dermatologist. Your doctor or dermatologist will be able to suggest the best acne medicine which your child will again need to use for quite some time before it produces results.

Without question, the most important step which you can take in helping your child to deal with acne is to start early. Your teenager might well be embarrassed by the arrival of acne and you might feel reluctant to step in and try to help if they have only a pimple or two. Beginning treatment early can however often stop the problem in its tracks and prevent it from developing into a serious condition. Parenting teenagers is not always easy but with a bit of forethought it does not have to be too hard either.