Many teenagers find themselves subjected to the trials and tribulations of skin problems. Of these, the hardest to fight, both physically and emotionally is acne. Appearance is so important to teens that this condition tends to create serious emotional discord in those who are affected by it. The physical aspects while the condition is active are bad enough, but they don’t end there. Without proper care, acne can leave lifelong scars (pock marks) on the face; these small indentions in the skin serve to remind the acne sufferer of the years that they spent fighting the skin condition.

One of the hardest things for teenagers to realize is that acne is very common; they are not alone. It is less common in males than females and the number of people who tend to keep it throughout their lifetime tends to be much higher for women. For the majority of acne sufferers usually find that it disappears in their early twenties, some are lucky and it clears sooner.

Often, people who do not understand acne think that it is caused from poor hygiene. This is not true. Although proper skin care can help (sometimes a lot), the condition is a result of other factors as well. The first of these is excess oil which is caused by over-active sebaceous glands (oil glands) in response to various triggers. Triggers are often both internal and external: genetics, hormones (which are high in teens), stress, overly warm temperatures, etc). The second factor is debris. This debris is microscopic; the dust that is in the air constantly is an example of this. When debris gets into the pores and mixes with the excess oil is is harder to get out. Then, a combination of dead skin cells and excess oil form a covering over the pore, trapping the impurities.

Symptoms of acne include: redness, inflammation, blackheads and whiteheads. The initial signs of acne are blackheads and whiteheads (often referred to as comedones) that are more abundant than those in most people. Then symptoms tend to appear in an uncontrollable disarray over the lower face; often seeming to overlap each other. White heads appear regularly throughout the day along with itching and pain at times. The itching causes scratching which, in turn, brings more bacteria to the face which can cause more infection.

The initial smattering of comedones look like the normal, occasional breakout that most people experience. Whiteheads are pores that have been blocked by excess oil and dead skin cells forming over the opening, trapping bacteria and debris in the pore. The white that is visible is a small amount of pus that your body has created in an attempt to isolate the bacteria. Blackheads, which look like very dark pinpricks, are created the same way but the pus has not begun to form in them yet. Blackheads generally have more debris in them, which is what gives them their dark appearance and they are formed in areas that have larger pores (for example, the nose). The reason that these have more debris is that the pores are already larger, making it easier for debris to get into the pore and mix with excess oil.

The second phase of acne development is a continuation of blocked pores and trapped bacteria. This phase is characterized by pustules (look like large whiteheads, can be yellowish), papules (slightly swollen red patches), and inflamed cysts (painful lumps deep within the skin). As these progress, it begins to look like the symptoms are overlapping each other, and the area can be very sore. These symptoms usually occur around hair follicles and in areas with naturally enlarged pores (face, back, and chest).

If you are suffering from acne or if you are a parent whose child is suffering from this skin condition, it is wise to seek the help of a dermatologist. With proper care, the scarring that used to be very common is minimized or avoided. There are many treatments available to help with acne. These things include both internal and external medications and prove remarkable in their ability to control acne.