The Importance Of Treating Teen Acne

Patients who come to the Advanced Acne Institute for teen acne treatment comprise one of the largest segments of acne patients that we treat. It is widely known that acne is a very common problem for teenagers and the importance of acne treatment cannot be overstated. Acne can have significant effects on teenagers in many aspects of their lives. We often prescribe a course of pimple treatment for teens who are significantly affected by their acne breakouts. Some teens who come to us for treatment have very mild acne while others have severe acne.

Treatment Is Important For All Degrees Of Teen Acne

One of the most important considerations in teen pimple treatment is to address all types and degrees of teenage acne. We hear all too often the common belief by parents that “he’ll grow out of it” or “she’ll have to learn to deal with it like I did when I was her age.” While many people feel this way about teen acne, the reality is that acne can have significant physical and emotional effects on teenagers. When deciding on the type of acne treatment to prescribe for a teenage patient, we take into account how much acne affects each teenager’s self-esteem and self-confidence. Some teenagers are not bothered by even very severe acne, while others are significantly affected by very minor breakouts.

Our Treatment Is Tailored To The Physical And Emotional Aspects Of Each Teenager’s Acne Breakouts

When teenagers come to the Advanced Acne Institute for treatment of teen acne, we inquire form the teenager and their parents about how their acne is affecting them adversely. We often hear from the parents that the teenager is so preoccupied with his or her acne that he or she is unable to concentrate fully on their schoolwork. Other teenagers who come for treatment are so bothered by their acne breakouts that they don’t socialize with their peers as much as they should because they are embarrassed by their pimples. This is the type of information that we need to know in order to prescribe the most appropriate treatment for each patient.

The Potential For Physical And Emotional Scarring

Another aspect of teen acne is the risk of scarring, both physically and emotionally. Some teenagers are prone to develop significant scars as a consequence of their acne breakouts. Others don’t develop much in the way of physical scars but can suffer from emotional and psychological scarring with repercussions that can last a lifetime. For both of these types of teenage patients, treatment must limit the potential for scarring as quickly and effectively as possible. This is why it is important to offer a course of acne treatment that is strong enough to really control teen acne.

Treatment Should Be Effective

It is common to see teenage patients who come to the Advanced Acne Institute seeking effective alternatives for acne treatment after having tried a variety of other therapies without success. For example, using topically applied creams or gels as the sole treatment for severe teen acne is very unlikely to offer much improvement. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to see teens with severe acne who have been given topical remedies for their acne as the sole intervention. This is a common circumstance because treating teenage acne can be more challenging than treating adults with acne.

Many doctors who do not specialize in acne treatment are reluctant to use stronger acne treatment options on teenagers. This is because some of the stronger therapies have the potential for various side effects. However, it is important to also consider the side effects of using a sub-optimal treatment. For example, if a particular treatment is prescribed that does not effectively address the type of acne being treated, the teenager can become frustrated with the lack of any visible progress. This can lead to even more significant effects on the psychological consequences of teen acne.

We’ll discuss the types of teen acne treatment in a future blog post.