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Pimples
& Zits
Give your Tween the straight scoop about acne.
by Marguerite Crump
PARENTGUIDE News November 2003
Despite what those airbrushed models in glossy
magazine ads would have us believe, no one has
perfect skin. Have you ever seen one of those
giant magnifying makeup mirrors that show you
in great detail how many huge pores and blemishes
you have on your face? It’s sobering. But
it’s certainly not as sobering as the emotional
pain some kids go through because of acne. Kids
around the ages of 9-13 are going through all
kinds of physical changes, and skin problems often
come with the package. Parents can help kids through
these changes with a combination of skin facts,
helpful tips and compassion.
Acne
Facts
More than 85 percent of teenagers get acne. (And
to those who go acne-free during those years:
some people don’t get acne until they are
adults!) So, most likely, your son or daughter
will probably have blemishes of some sort before,
during, or after puberty— just like everyone
else.
•FACT! Acne often affects your face, neck,
back, chest and shoulders where there are more
oil glands.
•FACT! The famous Egyptian King, Tutenkamen,
who was only a teenager when he died, was buried
with vials of creams used to treat his acne.
The cause of acne is a mystery, but doctors have
a pretty good idea about what happens. They think
that heredity, stress and hormones may trigger
acne. It’s sometimes helpful to point out
that acne isn’t anyone’s fault.
When children are young, their oil glands produce
just enough oil to keep their hair and skin soft.
As they mature and their hormones start bouncing
around, those oil glands kick into high gear and
start churning out more oil. If the oil glands
become inflamed and the pores get clogged with
oil, dead skin cells and sweat, then bacteria
start to grow. The human body tries to get rid
of the bacteria, and, in the process, makes whiteheads,
blackheads, and pimples.
Here are the differences between the three:
•Whiteheads are pores that have become closed
and plugged with oil.
•Blackheads are plugged pores that haven’t
closed; pigment has turned the oil black.
•Pimples (or zits) are red, inflamed, plugged
pores that sometimes are topped with pus, which
forms when the body’s white blood cells
arrive to kill off bacteria. (When the cells die,
they make pus— not a pretty picture.)
Acne can be made worse by stress, illness, medications
and oily lotions. In more severe forms of acne,
cysts may occur. These large bumps develop deep
beneath the skin and may lead to scarring. Cystic
acne is hard to treat with over-the-counter medicines
and can cause a lifetime of heartache, so take
your child to see a doctor if he or she has this
problem.
Tweens with dark skin need to take special care
of any acne problems. Because dark skin produces
more pigment faster, it may darken more in areas
that become inflamed or injured from breakouts.
The key is for dark-skinned kids to treat their
skin gently. Water-based (not oil-based) skin
products are less likely to cause clogged pores
and acne.
Acne
Treatment
Although there’s no cure for acne, there
are scads of acne-fighting products at any drugstore.
The complicated lists of ingredients on the packaging
can be confusing. Most of these products use ingredients
like sulfur/resorcinol (kills bacteria), salicylic
acid (opens clogged pores and clears blackheads)
and benzoyl peroxide (unclogs pores and kills
bacteria). These ingredients may dry out a tween’s
skin, so if his or her skin is irritated, have
them stop using the product and try another one.
A good skin-care routine can help fight breakouts,
too. Here are ten general acne-fighting “rules”
to follow:
1. Be gentle to skin. Wash with mild soaps or
cleansers.
2. Use oil-free skin products.
3. Avoid astringents, which can be drying.
4. Don’t squeeze or pop pimples. This may
cause swelling, skin damage, a bacterial infection
or scarring.
5. Drink lots of water. Healthy skin is made up
of lots of water, so it functions better when
it’s hydrated.
6. Avoid being in the kitchen when greasy foods
are cooked, if possible. Even though eating greasy
foods doesn’t cause acne, standing over
a pot of hot grease will only put an extra layer
of oil on troubled skin.
7. Protect skin from sunburn. People used to think
that sunlight helped cure acne. But exposure to
sunlight can thicken the outer layer of the skin,
which may then close the pores and cause further
problems.
8. Exercise helps keep stress levels down (stress
triggers acne in some people).
9. Eat a healthy diet. In particular, choose foods
and beverages that contain vitamins A, B, C, and
E— all of which are good for skin health.
10. Consult a doctor if a tween has anything more
than
a mild case of acne.
For severe acne, doctors might prescribe one of
several prescription drugs. Choices include antibiotics
that are applied to the skin or that are taken
in the form of a pill. Or a doctor may recommend
drugs called Retin-A or Accutane. These drugs
may have serious side effects, which is why a
doctor must prescribe them and regularly check
the tween’s progress. Also, these drugs
aren’t overnight wonders; sometimes, it
takes weeks or months to see improvement.
Coping
skills
No one knows why, but blemishes seem to unfailingly
make an appearance at the worst times. All tweens
can recall the big dance or upcoming speech that
inconveniently seemed to trigger a big,
fat pimple.
While it’s obviously the natural thing to
do (didn’t we all do it?), picking at the
pimple isn’t the answer. Usually, picking
at pimples makes them more swollen and red. What
can help the situation? Have your tween try a
tinted acne medication or a concealer stick to
tone down the redness. Boys and girls alike can
use these products, which can be found in the
makeup aisle or the acne- medication section at
a drugstore. Choose one shade lighter than the
surrounding skin color, and then dab the concealer
on the pimple and lightly blend it in.
Finally, while they might not believe you, tell
your offspring that their peers aren’t really
spending all their time looking at a zit or two
on someone else’s face. The fact is they’re
probably too busy focusing on the ones they have
themselves.
Marguerite Crump is the author of a book about
hygiene (yes, things like B.O. and stinky feet)
called Don’t Sweat It! Every Body’s
Answers to Questions You Don’t Want to Ask
(Free Spirit Publishing). The book moves from
head to toe with straight facts, humor, yucky
trivia and quotes from kids going through puberty.
Don’t Sweat It! was selected for inclusion
in the Books for the Teen Age 2003 list compiled
by the New York Public Library. Crump teaches
sixth-graders at New Bloomfield R-III School District
in New Bloomfield, Missouri. She has been a professional
basketball player, a coach, a magazine editor
and a wellness coordinator.
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