Acne For Boys

By Stephanie McIntyre

Acne is every bit the emotional, psychological and self-esteem problem for boys that it is for girls. While many males are taught to hide their emotions and to stoically refrain from appearing to be concerned about such cosmetically centered matters: the truth is that looks are just as important to boys as they are to girls. And an acne problem can wreak havoc with boy's self-confidence, and foster self-consciousness in them, too.

If your young man is showing signs of acne and signs that it is affecting him in other ways, he may need help in effectively dealing with it. As a parent, you can help by researching acne to find out what works, what's recommended, and what can be done about it.

Understanding of acne, its causes and remedies can do a lot to ease the emotional burden on teenaged boys, who are already dealing with the problems associated with puberty. Knowing what to do and what not to do can help to clear up his skin issues, and lessen the difficulties that many boys have during the teen years.

Following are some suggestions to help your teenaged boy contend with the problem of acne.

Keep the face clean. Dirt, and the excess skin oil associated with acne can exacerbate the problem. Gently clean the skin twice a day using a mild cleanser. There are a host of cleansing products sold over the counter that are specifically designed for acne. Avoid harsh cleansers and rough scrubbing of the skin as this can aggravate acne rather than help to control it.

Never pop or squeeze or break acne lesions. This can lead to infection and/or scarring. There are ways to safely reduce acne lesions without creating another, perhaps longer lasting problem like scars.

Stress can aggravate acne so if your teen is stressed out over something, see if you can find out what it is, and maybe help him to alleviate it. Acne itself can be a cause of stress; so helping him to clear that up may have a double benefit. If not the acne, then it may be related to puberty, or simple teenage angst.

Whatever you do, don't try to minimize or dismiss the effect that acne is having on your boy. If he is having anxiety about it, it's completely valid for him to be so. Making him feel as though he's weak or at fault for worrying about his skin problem will only provide additional stress -, which may cause him even more acne problems.

If your teen has moderate to severe acne, then it's a good idea to see a dermatologist. In these cases, prescription medications, including antibiotics, are often called for. Doctors can also provide cleaning and general skin care tips to help prevent future outbreaks.

Shaving can be a problem for teens that have acne. Slicing the top off of a blemish is as bad as popping one. Maybe an electric razor is the way to go if he must shave and has acne lesions too numerous to avoid. In any case, he'll have to exercise more caution than he ordinarily would because of his skin condition.

Acne may not be a serious or life-threatening ailment but it is a serious matter for the teenaged boy who is dealing with it. Offer all of the support you can to make this potentially difficult time and experience easier to deal with.

Stephanie McIntyre and Wendell Bryant are Internet developers. Visit their site at http://www.acnesolutionsuniverse.com

Stephanie McIntyre has been a Platinum eBay Powerseller, an eBay Trading Assistant as well as an Educational Assistant trained by eBay. Her company, eSales Unlimited Inc. specializes in training small business owners in using eBay as an additional revenue stream. She maintains a site with information on selling on eBay.