Acne can be one of those little irritants and a major cause for loss of self esteem and self worth for our youth.  While it can occur at any age, it is frequently during your teenage years that acne becomes one of the most frustrating problems you face.

As a teenager, I personally battled acne.  I didn’t know what caused it and there were all kinds of ideas about chocolate being the cause, or too much stress, or eating foods with preservatives, sweating from exercise, etc.  There are literally hundreds of items of misinformation about what causes acne and a similar amount of home remedies that don’t help to cure acne at all.

Acne is caused by excessive oil on your skin that traps dirt and clogs your pores. Left untreated, it will ultimately result in an infection, which produces the pimple with its redness and swelling.  A blackhead is simply a pore that has been partially plug by oils or dead skin but still is mostly open and hasn’t developed an infection.

The most beneficial acne treatment is probably your ability to control the body oils that you have on your face, neck and shoulders. As a teenager, the increased amount of hormones cause some of this excessive oil on your skin and in your hair.  So you should be sure to keep your hair and skin clean to facilitate reducing the amount of oil you have on your face and shoulders. 

As a teenager, I had very oily hair and had acne on my shoulders. I tried many things and even had sought doctors help, but what finally got it under control was cutting my hair shorter and washing my hair at least once a day. I also made sure to try to keep my face clean by washing with mild soap and water.

If you have problems with pimples, you should try not to pick at and pop your pimples. While you might think this would help to remove the ‘infection’, what actuall happens is that you end up spreading the infection to surrounding areas and forcing the infection even deeper into that pore. 

You should also remember that acne can also be caused by some medications. So, if you’re taking proper care to control your bodily oils and it still hasn’t worked, medications may be the cause.  Be sure to ask your family physician as he should know of the side effects of your medication and adjust if necessary.

This site provides valuable information on How To Get Rid of Pimples and Acne.

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