Help Your Teenager Fight Acne
Sensitive Solutions For Parents Of Teens With Acne
(NAPSI)-Your teenager is not
alone in the fight against pimples. Acne is the most common skin
disorder, affecting an estimated 40-50 million Americans. While pimples
affect people of all ages, from teens to adults in their 50s, the most
common sufferers are adolescents.
Any teenager who struggles with
the affliction of acne also is probably experiencing the emotional
stress and low self-esteem often associated with this skin disorder.
With a few simple tips, parents can learn how to sensitively identify
and address the problem, providing effective solutions to help their
teenager fight acne on both the physical and psychological levels.
What You Need To Know
About Acne
The first step to finding a
solution is being able to identify the severity of the problem. The most
common form of acne is mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne vulgaris,
commonly called zits, pimples, breakouts or blemishes. These conditions
result when a skin pore clogs, allowing p.acnes bacteria to thrive and
ultimately creating the small red inflammation that appears as a pimple.
There also are more serious levels of acne, such as severe acne vulgaris,
acne rosacea or acne conglobata, which are more difficult to clear and
can have long-lasting effects.
The type of treatment can vary
greatly depending on acne type, from simple daily cleansing to prevent
the occasional pimple to visiting a dermatologist for the most severe
types of acne. But in all cases, it is important to remember that no
matter how good a preventative regimen is, pimples can still break
through and acne is likely to affect a teenager's self-esteem and
confidence. As a parent, it's important to be supportive and reassure
that this condition will likely pass.
New Jersey-based board-certified
dermatologist Dr. Jeanine Downie recommends these tips for sensitively
talking to your teenager about acne:
1. Pick a time when your teenager
is in a comfortable, private place, such as on the way home from school
in the car.
2. Avoid talking to them when
pimples are especially bad, as his/her self-esteem may be fragile.
3. Approach the conversation by
asking questions rather than making statements. For example, rather than
saying "I'm worried about your skin," ask "Do you feel frustrated by
your skin sometimes?" Then, tell them about your experiences with acne
as a teen so they truly know you understand.
4. Do your research and bring new
solutions that they haven't tried.
Treatment Options: Tried & True and
Cutting Edge
There are many treatment options
for acne. Choosing the best solution depends on the severity of the
blemishes and can combine a variety of different solutions.
• The tried-and-true methods of
fighting acne focus on prevention. These include washing skin with a
gentle cleanser twice daily and the possible use of acne creams or
lotions. These creams and lotions generally take six to eight weeks to
work and typically contain one of two active ingredients designed to
fight the outbreak of new acne-benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Each
works in a different manner: Benzoyl peroxide reduces p.acnes bacteria
and removes dead skin cells, while salicylic acid helps correct the
abnormal shedding of skin cells. Both products may have side effects,
including excessive drying and/or irritation of the skin.
• Unfortunately, no matter how
good your preventative regimen may be, pimples can still break through.
When that happens, there also are new cutting-edge options such as spot
treatment devices. Spot treatment devices are designed to clear pimples
after they appear. One of the newest products on the market is
ThermaClear (www.thermaclear.com).
ThermaClear is an FDA-cleared, handheld medical device, sold over the
counter, that delivers a controlled burst of heat that penetrates below
the skin's surface to neutralize the bacteria that causes pimples. A
clinical study proves that ThermaClear clears acne pimples two to four
times faster than those not treated with ThermaClear.
For more-severe acne cases, you
may benefit from visiting a dermatologist who can offer stronger
solutions, such as antibiotic treatments or in-office laser treatments,
available only under a doctor's care.
For more information on acne,
visit the American Academy of Dermatology at
www.aad.org.
A new handheld medical device can
neutralize the bacteria that causes pimples. |
