MOMI LEARNS| All about Teenage Acne

It’s grocery time and my boys excitedly and hurriedly get their own facial scrub before I could even make my complete round at the first lane of the supermarket.  Two of them are in their teens already and sadly, they are experiencing some acne problems.

I guess puberty, hormonal change, and personal hygiene seem to go hand in hand.  It is not only the increased hormones due to puberty that cause teenager’s skin to breakout.  As acne is caused when the pores of the skin are clogged with excess oil, bacteria then breed on these oily grounds.

I’ve experienced acne in my teenage years as well and it somehow affected my confidence.  I do not want the same thing to happen to my boys so I gathered them and had a short discussion about acne.

Acne and hygiene

I often remind the boys to always wash their face with an anti-bacterial soap and water.  I also encourage them to maintain a short haircut so their hair will not touch their forehead.  Good thing their school also implements monthly haircut check.

This mother also reminds her boys to never touch, pop, and scratch their pimples.  Touching them will all the more spread the bacteria.  I also make sure they always bring with them a soft handkerchief to wipe perspiration and excess oil off their face.

Even Dermatologists assure that with proper hygiene, acne may somehow tame down.

Acne and diet

My mom would always tell that oily and sweet food and snacks trigger the skin to produce more oil which all the more results in blocked pores.  Germs love to thrive in oily blocked pores.  She then reprimands the boys whenever she sees them eating greasy peanuts, chips, and chocolates.

When we visited a dermatologist one day to have the boys’ skin examined, the doctor recommended a diet high in protein for my two teenagers.  She guarantees food of those kinds will greatly reduce the effects of excess oil, hormones, and acne on the skin.

Acne and sleep

With the many school commitments, the boys sometimes sleep late at night.  I am unsure if sleep and acne have a connection so I researched further.

When one is sleep deprived, his skin secretes more sebum or oil.  This then explains the formation of acne.  Likewise, lack of sleep weakens the immune system which makes one susceptible to bacteria that unavoidably cause acne.

Acne and stress

Research says that when one is under stress, he secretes stress hormones.  Stress hormones increase oil production and clog the skin.  Once pores on the skin are blocked, they become irritated because of bacteria.  They will swell into a pimple or bump.  Constant touching of skin further spreads the bacteria, aggregate the swelling, and develop into acne.

Acne and genes

Though environment impacts the formation of pimples, genes still play an important role in how skin responds to hormonal changes.  I grew up dealing with pimples, same as my husband.  So when the boys had their first pimple, we had them checked by a dermatologist to know if we’ve got the same skin type.  Having known this, we are in a better position to begin a regimen to help alleviate acne symptoms.

Acne and medication

If there is one thing I’ve learned from suffering from acne, it is not to self-medicate.  Instead, visit a dermatologist to have your teenager’s skin accessed.  Ask the dermatologist to recommend a solution to improve the skin’s condition.  A dermatologist is a skin specialist who can better understand acne and its causes.  He may recommend some medication and topical creams to treat acne- something you cannot and should not do.