Acne During Teenage Years

August 26, 2008

Acne effects more than 90% of teens and becomes active between the ages of 10 and 13. This is precisely why acne is so commonly associated with puberty. Which explains why girls typically start showing signs of ‘acne vulgaris‘ earlier than boys. ‘Acne vulgars’ is the latin name for this type of acne; vulgaris being the Latin word for “common.” But acne is not limited to your teen years. It’s not uncommon for acne to last well into your 20’s, if not longer. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent acne from lasting into adulthood.

You shouldn’t be embarrassed about your acne and you don’t have to be. Handle the situation properly now and save yourself a bunch of stress in the future. Teen skin varies greatly from adult skin and from person to person, and should be treated as so. Sure, you can take the usual precautions, but when acne strikes in full force there’s usually only one thing to do. And the only person that can help you figure out what that is, is your dermatologist.

The Different types of Acne

In order to prevent acne you need to know the different forms in which acne appears and how they effect you and your skin. Most teens experience acne on the face but acne can develop nearly anywhere on the body. The usual suspects include blackhead, whiteheads, and inflammatory lesions. Inflammatory lesions are common amongst teens and adults and include cysts, papules, pustules, and nodules. These lesions are the pus-filled ones and become red, sensitive, and painful. Blackheads and whiteheads on the other hand are usually only found with cases of teen acne.

Testosterone and Estrogen

The main contributing factor to teen acne is, in fact, puberty. It’s now common knowledge that puberty messes with your hormones. As a result acne becomes more prevalent during puberty. This group of hormones are commonly referred to as testosterone. Testosterone is found in guys and girls but is produced much stronger in guys, explaining why teenage boys typically experience much worse cases of acne. The hormones estrogen and progesterone are important in the development of acne as well. Their most important role is that of healers, as they place a big part in the acne healing process.

Acne and Genetics

Many are surprised to find out that acne can be passed down genetically through both sides of your family. If you are currently suffering from acne vulgaris, go ask your parents if they had acne. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.

Initial outbreaks usually surface across the forehead, on or around the nose, and the chin. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones and they’ll go away on your own. At the very worst you’ll have to treat it with an over the counter product or improve your face cleaning regiments. Heck, this may be the last time you ever see a pimple on your skin again. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t so lucky.

In many cases outbreaks come back, but often times much worse. This time they’ve spread out to other areas of your face, down your neck, and onto your torso. As the acne worsens many suffer from high occurrences of inflammatory lesions that leave deep scars if left untreated. If you get to this point and have a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, you need to make an appointment with a dermatologist. Many dermatologists these days prescribe you isotretinoin, also known as Accutane. There are also Acne Products such as Hydroderm available.

Every acne product works differently for every person, so keep trying things until they work for you.

Other articles related to this topic

• Dealing with Acne in Adulthood
• Using Chemical Peels to Fight Acne
• Topical Acne Treatments
• Over the Counter Acne Treatment For People With Dark Complexions
• What Are Whiteheads And Blackheads

Tags: acne vulgaris, adulthood, blackheads, dermatologist, estrogen, pimple, puberty, scar, scars, skin, teen acne, teen years, teenage acne, whiteheads