Telling your kids that they will outgrow their pubescent facial woes and that they should stop worrying may be losing its credibility.
Parents have been asked to have myriad conversations with their teenage children about sex, drugs and alcohol, but the emotional and physical scarring of acne often goes unaddressed. Yet, according to dermatologists from The American Acne & Rosacea Society, the damage caused by acne is very real and often misunderstood. Some teens who have a face full of acne may truly be fine with it and go about their daily lives largely unaffected. For others one pimple can be traumatic. How does a parent know the difference?
“We live in a society in which appearance is greatly valued and teenagers are exposed to messaging about this on a daily basis. It has an effect, no matter how resilient the teenager may be,” says Diane Berson, a New York City-based dermatologist and a member of The American Acne & Rosacea Society. “So, now as your teens head back to school, especially those just beginning high school, acne is a topic that parents should not ignore. It is a conversation to have with your sons and daughters.”
But, talking may not be enough, point out these experts. Action may also be required and taking your teen for a visit to the dermatologist could help not only with their acne, but their self-esteem and emotional balance as well. “With the advent of social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, teens are always ripe for ending up as targets of malicious assaults by almost anyone they know. Being referred to as ‘pizza face,’ isn’t pleasant – having it broadcast to one’s entire universe is humiliating,” stresses Dr. Berson.