Acne
For a lot of people the first sign of puberty is that their skin breaks out in spots. This can make life pretty miserable when it happens.
On average 80% of teenagers have at least mild skin problems, and boys seem to suffer more than girls do.
What causes acne?
Acne develops when your glands produce too much oil. This causes dead skin cells to block pores, which can then get infected and turn into zits and cysts.
This can go on for several years and may leave scars from old spots on the face, neck and shoulders, where there are a large number of sebaceous glands.
Treatment
Now for the good news: acne is treatable. It’s important to get help as soon as possible because acne can create low self-esteem which sometimes hangs around long after the spots themselves have gone.
Medication
Treatments include over-the-counter products or those, which can only be obtained from your GP.
These prescription drugs can be antibiotics, which clear up the infection, or types of drugs that clear up the root cause beneath the skin i.e. the overproduction of oil and bacteria.
