Acne is painful - on the inside. We live in a culture where not just youth, but beauty is worshipped. It's everywhere and you can't escape it. The results of having acne can be emotionally devastating for teenagers as they are extremely conscious of their appearance and their image. Even though they feel they suffer alone, they don't. The fact is that approximately 85% of the population in the United States has at some point suffered with acne, and approximately 17 million people have acne. You are far from alone.
Acne in teenagers is caused by the action of hormones on the skin's oil glands. During puberty both boys and girls have an increase in the hormones called androgens. These hormones cause sebaceous glands under the surface of the skin to enlarge. The sebaceous glands in response produce excess oil. This excess oil mixes with bacteria and dead skin on the skin's surface and blocks pores. Inside these pores the bacteria multiple and cause inflammation.
Acne is usually genetic, so you may not be able to avoid it. However there are things you should know, an things you can do to help you deal with it.
There are many myths surrounding acne. The most well known one is that chocolate and greasy foods cause breakouts. Over the years dermatologists have discovered there is no evidence of this claim. However, if you find you do break out more after eating certain foods, avoid them. Although it may not have an affect on your acne, eating a healthy diet complete with fruits and vegetables is a good idea. Another myth is that acne is caused by poor hygiene. This is not true at all. As mentioned above acne is caused by overproduction of oil, period. Myth three advises you to scrub your face several times a day. Actually, over washing your skin can cause it to become more inflamed. Also, if you use drying products to excess on you skin your skin may rebel by producing more oil.
Whatever one of the literally hundreds of treatments you decide to choose remember that acne takes time to disappear. Overnight or miraculous results don't happen. It takes six to eight weeks to see results from treatment. Once acne has cleared continued treatment will needed to prevent it from recurring.
If an acne treatment takes more than six to eight weeks to show a significant difference it probably won't work. Try something else.
You really should see the advice of a dermatologist. With the number of products on the market, how do you choose? What might clear one person's acne might not clear anothers. Your skin type and lesion types must be taken into consideration. Before you spend a bundle of money on an unknown treatment see a dermatologist. He or she can plan an individualized program based on your skin's needs.
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