{"id":2867,"date":"2021-07-20T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=2867"},"modified":"2023-08-16T13:52:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T20:52:44","slug":"helping-your-teen-with-acne-8-first-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/helping-your-teen-with-acne-8-first-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Your Teen with Acne \u2013 8 First Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

My children think I’m obsessed with looking out for teens\u2019 skin! They may be right. Acne is a problem that I care about! Having acne can be more than just a nuisance \u2013 it can seriously affect a kid\u2019s self-esteem and cause lifelong scars.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at how to help your teen put their best face forward.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Acne can be treated.<\/strong> Seriously, this is a fact that many parents are unaware of. Your teens don’t have to suffer through acne \u2013 it can be treated and they can look great! Left untreated, acne can leave scars. Often mild acne responds well to over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide. Start using this, and if it’s not helping after 2 months, ask their pediatrician for help.<\/li>\n
  2. That\u2019s right \u2013<\/strong> Get help from a pediatrician.<\/em><\/strong> Parents often ask for a referral to a dermatologist for their kids\u2019 acne. You don’t need a specialist to treat most acne. Your pediatrician has all the tools and training needed to help your child and will know when a referral is needed. Think of it this way: Who sees more teens day in and day out and therefore sees more acne? Your pediatrician. We\u2019ve got this one covered for you!<\/li>\n
  3. It isn\u2019t about dirt.<\/strong> You can\u2019t scrub, peel, or wash acne away. In fact, all those over-the-counter scrubs and cleansing tools may make your teen\u2019s acne look worse. Have them wash their face with a gentle soap like Cetaphil or Dove.<\/li>\n
  4. It isn\u2019t about what they eat.<\/strong> Shhhhhhh . . . Please don\u2019t tell them this but they don\u2019t have acne because of eating all that junk food. We can let them be motivated to eat well for the sake of their skin, though.<\/li>\n
  5. Acne is caused by genetics and hormones.<\/strong> As hormones change in puberty, acne can be triggered. It often runs in families.<\/li>\n
  6. Picking is the pits.<\/strong> Picking, popping, and squeezing will cause damage that makes even minor acne look awful. The red and dark marks left behind after this trauma to the skin can last for months. Let your teens know that if they stop picking at their skin, they\u2019ll look better within a few months!<\/li>\n
  7. Treatment requires patience.<\/strong>\u00a0Acne\u00a0will<\/strong> improve with treatment, but slowly. I often warn teens to not expect any change for months \u2013 even when they’re diligently using their medication every day.<\/li>\n
  8. There are many treatment options.<\/strong> From creams and gels to antibiotics and hormones, we have medications that will help teens look and feel their best. After starting one medication, check back with your pediatrician with a video visit<\/a> in 2 to 3 months to see if a change should be made. Or, if something that previously worked doesn\u2019t seem to anymore, please let us know.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To understand more about what causes acne and how to treat it, see Acne in Teens<\/u> <\/a>on My Doctor Online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    My children think I’m obsessed with looking out for teens\u2019 skin! They may be right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[151,150,152,279,236,567,149,72],"class_list":["post-2867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-issues","tag-acne","tag-acne-treatment","tag-pimples","tag-skin-care-for-children","tag-talking-to-teens","tag-talking-with-teens","tag-teen-acne","tag-teens","ages-teen"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1692228405:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":["default"],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["106"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["292"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["Acne"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["Acne"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["63"],"_thumbnail_id":["622"],"qode_seo_title":["Acne: Help Your Teen Treat Acne"],"qode_seo_keywords":["acne, teen acne, pimples, acne treatment, over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide, treating acne"],"qode_seo_description":["Having acne can be more than just a nuisance for teens \u2013 it can seriously affect a kid\u2019s self-esteem and cause lifelong scars. Acne can be treated using over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide. As hormones change in puberty, acne can be triggered. It often runs in families. Teens shouldn't pick pimples. "],"wpfp_favorites":["6"],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1692219165"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2867"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4257,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867\/revisions\/4257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}