Teenage acne affects approximately 80 percent of teenagers, along with many young adults. At this stage, it is even considered a normal part of growing up, even though it’s also a widely common skin problem. Acne is a skin condition that creates whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, and pustules that occur when the skin’s pores get blocked with dead skin cells, bacteria, and skin oil. The hormonal changes that come with puberty stimulate the skin glands within the pores, and while there is no certain method to prevent acne, you can help your teenager reduce the number and severity of their breakouts through the help of your pediatricians.
What Can Pediatricians Provide For Your Teenager?
Despite what most people would normally think, most pediatricians can help treat teenagers with mild to moderate acne, especially when over-the-counter medications don’t provide acne relief. Prescription medication can often work better than over-the-counter varieties because they can be tailored to the acne’s severity and can overall cost less than over-the-counter options when combined with insurance coverage. Pediatricians can also help navigate the gray areas of teenage years for those seeking acne treatment, especially when teenagers often feel self-conscious about their appearance and aren’t ready to open up about their insecurities.
Because of these two measures, pediatricians are a great resource for acne care, especially when acne poses serious risks to your child’s skin. Acne is often the result of both environmental and genetic factors – as outside factors such as bacteria and dead skin cells affect the pores, the genes influence the skin’s response to those factors with inflammation, which over time can lead to acne scarring. In order to prevent this issue from developing, acne medication is your teenager’s first line of defense.
Not only can acne be treated by a pediatrician, but your pediatrician can also help dispel many acne-related myths and misconceptions about skin care treatments, what causes acne, and other factors involved with their skin. Some of these misconceptions include:
- Myth: People who have acne should wash their faces more often.
- Fact: Sometimes, excessive face-washing can strip the body’s natural oils that protect the skin and cause over-production of oils that worsen acne.
- Myth: Eating junk food can cause acne.
- Fact: There haven’t been any scientific links that junk foods cause acne, but teenagers working in greasy environments can trigger acne outbreaks, similar to how stress, makeup, and sports equipment can cause outbreaks.
- Myth: You can squeeze pimples to get rid of them.
- Fact: While squeezing pimples removes the puss and pain associated with pimples, it also causes the pimples to heal more slowly and increases the risk for skin damage.
- Myth: Only teenagers get acne.
- Fact: Anyone can get acne, but it is most common in high school due to the increase in hormone production during puberty. However, it can also develop during college years and later on in life and can even develop in later adulthood.
When Should My Teenager See A Pediatrician?
If you’ve established a relationship with your pediatrician, then it’s best to schedule an appointment for your teenager as soon as possible for potential treatment. While your pediatrician can treat your teenager’s acne, signs of severe acne, including acne scarring, lack of response to acne medication, and cyst breakouts, may indicate a referral to a dermatologist for further assessment and treatment.
