Acne in boys is not uncommon. In most cases, it is encountered during the so-called puberty period. Young men experience discomfort due to their changing appearance. Some become withdrawn, while others develop a real inferiority complex. Not all teenagers, when acne appears, take appropriate measures to treat it. Sometimes they are not even aware of the presence of special remedies for rashes.
Why do acne appear?
Acne in adolescence is an external manifestation of global internal processes that turn a boy into a man. The skin reacts violently to hormonal changes. At the age of 12-14 years, active production of sex hormones begins. A surge in testosterone leads to changes in metabolism.
Subcutaneous fat begins to be produced more actively, it becomes thicker. The pores become clogged. When a bacterial infection is attached, purulent inflammation develops externally or subcutaneously. During adolescence, boys begin to sweat more, which also contributes to clogged pores and the development of inflammation of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands.
Pubertal acne is more pronounced in boys who have genetic preconditions for acne. If the parents suffered from a similar problem, then there is almost a 100% chance that their son will develop acne.
Acne becomes noticeably larger if a child does not eat properly. Sandwiches on the run, hamburgers in fast food restaurants, chips and pies from the school cafeteria do not make a boy’s skin healthier.
Many young men at this age start going to the gym and doing fitness. And, of course, young maximalists want beautiful bodily “reliefs” not later, but right now. Therefore, boys begin to take steroid drugs and sports nutrition. This “diet” increases muscle mass, and at the same time increases acne on the face and body.
In summer, in hot conditions, the number of acne increases rapidly. The same thing happens during important and exciting periods in a teenager’s life. Severe stress has a direct impact on the intensity of acne , as a result, during exams, during important competitions for the boy, acne worsens.
The cause of acne in a teenager can be not only a lack of hygiene (which is often what boys are guilty of), but also an excess of it. So, in an attempt to get rid of a rash on the face, young men begin to wash their faces more often with soap and wipe their skin with alcohol lotions. This dries out the skin quite quickly, and in order to maintain balance, the body gives the command for an even more intense secretion of subcutaneous sebum, the glands begin to work with double zeal and the number of acne increases sharply. If a young man regularly squeezes out pimples, then the rash expands its “geography”; new lesions form not only next to the microtrauma, but also on other parts of the body - on the shoulders, neck, back, buttocks.
There is no point in downplaying or hushing up the problem of youthful acne. Of course, boys are not as careful about their skin as girls, but they also suffer greatly from acne. With severe acne, numerous psychological complexes develop, which sometimes remain even after the acne disappears.
Boys who are afraid of normal communication with the opposite sex because of their acne become more withdrawn and sometimes more aggressive.
Useful tips
Acne is a fairly common problem among teenagers. Experts associate its occurrence with hormonal imbalances that occur during puberty and an unbalanced diet. There may be other reasons, but they are much less common. To minimize discomfort on the skin throughout treatment, experts give the following recommendations:
- You need to wash your face with warm, but not hot water. This recommendation also applies to the shaving process. The thing is that hot water promotes excessive expansion of blood vessels. At the same time, the sebaceous glands begin to work several times more intensely.
- During the entire course of treatment, you can additionally use masks to cleanse the skin. They are done with a break of several days.
- An important component of treatment is diet. No matter how difficult it may be, teenagers will have to give up chips and crackers, and sweet soda. Preference should be given to highly fortified and zinc-rich foods.
Preventing the appearance of rashes, especially in adolescence, is quite simple. It is necessary to regularly take care of your face even if you do not have acne. Any cosmetologist will be able to choose suitable cleansing and moisturizing products for a specific skin type. Products containing alcohol should be avoided.
Prevention of rashes is impossible to imagine without proper nutrition. All experts recommend that teenagers spend as much time walking as possible. Once a week you need to use a scrub to deeply cleanse the skin.
Where to start treatment?
If you decide to fight acne, you should start with a visit to a dermatologist-cosmetologist. This specialist will evaluate the general appearance of acne, its location, the type and degree of penetration of the inflammatory process deep into the skin. All this is of great importance for proper and successful treatment.
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You should not count on quick results; acne treatment usually takes several months. It is good to start treatment by diagnosing the condition of the body. Usually, a general blood test, analysis of stool for dysbacteriosis, and scraping of the contents of pustules (with a profuse purulent rash) to determine the type of bacterium and its resistance to antibiotics are sufficient.
If the doctor suspects that the child is not eating properly, he will be scheduled for a consultation with a gastroenterologist to find out whether some gastrointestinal problems are the “culprit” of the acne. If no visible causes for acne are identified, it is advisable for the young man to pay a visit to an endocrinologist, who will try to find out whether everything is in order with the teenager’s hormonal background.
After a short examination, the doctor will prescribe individual treatment, because there are no universal schemes suitable for any young man with teenage acne. Everything is strictly individual.
General rules of therapy
For successful treatment of acne in young men, it is important to adhere to two rules:
- Treatment should be systematic, daily.
- Be sure to follow the entire set of appointments without missing anything.
The initial stage of treatment involves changing the young man’s lifestyle. First of all, it is important to correct existing nutritional errors. If a boy takes protein powders or steroids for sports, they should be avoided. Butter, lard, fatty and smoked foods, and marinades should be completely excluded from the diet. Every day the menu should contain fermented milk products - kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt. Fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meats and fish, cereals, vegetable oil (no more than 10 grams per day) are useful.
To strengthen the nervous system and increase stress resistance, nightly “meetings” in front of a computer monitor should be replaced with a walk in the fresh air.
A young man needs to sleep at least 8 hours. During periods of preparation for competitions and exams, the boy should be given herbal sedatives once a day (in the evening before bed).
The approach to hygiene should also be reconsidered. You should not wash your face with hot water, nor should you frequently wash your face with soap. You should use warm and cool water to wash your face. After the procedure, blot the face with a soft towel without rubbing the skin. Young men who have started shaving should ensure that shaving products are thoroughly washed off the skin.
A rash on your back and shoulders is a reason to change your wardrobe. A young man with problem skin should wear only T-shirts made from natural materials. If you sweat excessively, it makes sense to take a shower several times a day, whenever possible, without detergents. A young man who wants to get rid of acne should start taking multivitamin complexes that contain vitamin A and Omega-3 polyunsaturated acid .
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Treatment with medications
In addition to the above measures, which are the same for all boys, individual treatment with medications is prescribed. Since it is important not only to cleanse the pores of accumulated subcutaneous fat, but also to eliminate inflammation, as well as reduce the production of sebaceous gland secretions, treatment begins with antiseptic procedures. A solution of salicylic alcohol is best suited for these purposes. You need to treat problem areas with it twice a day.
Apply ointment or cream to clean skin. For large pustular formations, doctors recommend an antibiotic-based remedy for acne on the face, for example, “Zinerit”. Sometimes there is a need for a directly antibacterial ointment, usually “Erythromycin”, “Synthomycin” or “Tetracycline” ointment. For severe and deep acne, the doctor may give a prescription for antibiotic tablets; Azithromycin is most often prescribed.
Mild forms of teenage acne do not require the use of antibiotics. Sometimes it is quite enough to lubricate the affected skin with zinc ointment twice a day. The following ointments have a good anti-inflammatory effect:
- "Tretinoin";
- "Ugresol";
- "Oxygel";
- "Baziron AS";
- "Adapalene";
- "Skinoren."
These preparations are applied to the skin after preliminary cleaning with a soft cotton pad with salicylic alcohol no more than twice a day. For extensive and deep acne, the doctor may prescribe the hormonal ointment Advantan, Triderm , as well as taking hormonal medications orally. If pathologies from the gastrointestinal tract are detected, sorbents, as well as Lactofiltrum or Linex, may be prescribed.
Almost all boys are advised to take vitamin A supplements. These medications include Lokacid and Isotrex . These products regulate sebum production and also promote faster healing of acne wounds without scarring.
The duration of medication treatment starts from several months and ends with six months. If the effect is insufficient, the course of treatment is repeated.
Acne on the face of a 13-14 year old girl
In her early teens, you may notice that your daughter's weight gain occurs before she experiences a significant growth spurt. Her breasts begin to enlarge and her hips widen. Suddenly you are looking at a young woman whose first transition problems may be acne on the body and face Her skin and hair may become more oily, as a result of which the first acne will appear. Many girls begin their menstrual cycle at the age of 13 to 14 years, which significantly affects the appearance of acne due to hormonal fluctuations in the body girls.
Girls usually start getting their first facial acne when their hormones enter their most active phase (around 11 to 13 years of age), affecting puberty. Boys start getting acne at around 12 years of age, with a range of 12 to 15 years.
At the beginning of adolescence, the main areas of acne lesions are blackheads and white or red pimples Later, during puberty, there is a higher frequency and number of inflammatory acne lesions Early lesions usually occur around the center of the face and on the forehead Teenagers are usually active and have very busy school and after-school periods school schedules, as well as an increasingly active social life Being a teenager is quite difficult, since acne is added to many problems.
Other methods
Modern cosmetology offers many methods for getting rid of acne. They can be resorted to if conservative treatment is unsuccessful or the depth of skin damage is so great that there is a risk of the formation of skin cosmetic defects. Usually, the dermatologist, without delaying matters, himself recommends using one of the alternative methods. The easiest way is hardware or instrumental treatment of acne. They are thoroughly cleaned in the clinic, the acne “leg” is removed, after which the pores are treated with an anti-inflammatory composition and recommendations for care are given.
Sometimes there is a need for surgery. If a guy has cysts, deep skin defects left behind by large ulcers, he undergoes a simple operation to excise the scars and apply skin “patches” to these places. There is another way that allows you to cope with severe acne that is resistant to ointments - injecting hormonal drugs into the acne using a small syringe with a very thin needle.
Good results are shown by auxiliary procedures - phototherapy (irradiation with artificial UV rays), as well as cryotherapy (cauterization of acne with extremely low temperatures).
According to reviews, ultrasonic facial cleansing is considered the most popular method of getting rid of acne; laser skin cleansing also has quite positive reviews. Almost any cosmetology clinic today can offer these and many other ways to help with acne in a teenager. After one of the alternative methods is used, the boy will be prescribed a subsequent standard course of therapy, which will include nutritional correction, treatment of the skin with ointments, and, possibly, taking some medications orally.
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Folk remedies
It is possible to treat acne in teenage boys, if the rash is not complicated by purulent inflammation and has limited localization, using folk remedies. Over the centuries of existence of the problem, alternative medicine has developed a whole arsenal of anti-acne recipes.
For washing, you can offer the young man a decoction of chamomile or a decoction of mint leaves once a day. These products not only have natural anti-inflammatory properties, but also soften and soothe irritated skin. If the skin is oily, the boy has a tendency to form wen and so-called blackheads, then lemon juice will benefit him. If freshly squeezed juice is applied to the skin of the face once a day and washed off with cool water after half an hour, the effect of such procedures can appear within 2-3 weeks.
You can treat pustular acne with aloe juice. This plant can be found without problems on almost every windowsill in Russian apartments. A prerequisite is not to store the plant juice, but to squeeze fresh juice each time before use.
A curd mask helps get rid of clogging of pores with subcutaneous fat. It requires the most ordinary cottage cheese (crumbly, not curd mass). It is mixed with a raw egg and applied to the face for 15-20 minutes. Cottage cheese “pulls out” most blackheads. For masks, you can use honey, if the young man is not allergic to it, as well as a mass obtained from crushed viburnum and cranberries. It should be remembered that all masks are washed off exclusively with warm or cool water.
If acne is widespread not only on the face, but also on the body, then it is advisable for the young man to add a decoction of celandine, chamomile, and string to the bath water.
Help from traditional medicine
Folk remedies are used to treat acne on the face of adolescents along with medications. Regardless of the treatment option, it is necessary to start combating rashes only after consultation with a dermatologist or cosmetologist. Often teenagers try to solve the problem on their own by any means. As a rule, they crush pimples. As a result, dirt easily penetrates under the skin. The inflammatory process only intensifies, and acne spreads to more and more areas.
| Name | Short description |
| Aloe | To prepare the infusion you will need only 2-3 leaves of this plant. They must be washed under water and dried well, put in a dark place for 10 days. Then the leaves need to be crushed in a blender to a paste and poured with water in a ratio of 1:5. The mixture should first be infused for an hour, then put on low heat and boiled. It is recommended to wipe your face with the prepared decoction at room temperature several times a day. |
| Calendula | This recipe requires calendula flowers. To two tablespoons you need to add 50 ml of vodka, 20 ml of water and 70 ml of regular cologne. The mixture should be infused in a warm place for several hours. Then you can add 5 g of boric acid and 3 ml of glycerin to it. The resulting lotion is used to treat acne on the face up to 2 times a day. |
| White Lily | A small number of petals of this plant should be placed in any container, then add water. The product is infused for 2 weeks. Then you can wipe your face with it every day before going to bed. |
| Aloe (second method) | A few aloe leaves should be crushed in a blender to a paste, then squeeze out the juice. It should be applied precisely to the skin in affected areas. The prepared juice cannot be stored in the refrigerator; it must be used immediately. |
| Birch juice | Birch sap is another effective remedy for acne in teenagers. A lotion prepared on its basis should be lubricated daily on the face. |
| Calendula (second method) | A tablespoon of calendula flowers should be poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water and left in a dark place for an hour. The product must be filtered through cheesecloth. Wipe the skin on the face where acne appears with an infusion at room temperature. |
| Birch buds | To prepare this remedy, you will need to pour 250 ml of boiling water over a tablespoon of birch buds, put it on the fire and boil for another 20 minutes. The finished product must be cooled to room temperature and strained. For medicinal purposes it is used as a lotion. |
| Honey with calendula | A tablespoon of calendula flowers should be poured with 250 ml of boiling water. Then add a spoonful of honey to the mixture and mix it well. The resulting product is used in the form of compresses, which are left on the skin for 30 minutes. |
| Sage | A tablespoon of the leaves of this plant must be poured with 250 ml of boiling water and kept in a water bath for a few more minutes. Then the product must be infused for half an hour, strain through gauze. It is used to prepare lotions. |
| St. John's wort | A tablespoon of dry shoots of the plant should be filled with 250 ml of water and heated in a water bath. Use the prepared product to wipe the affected areas of the skin on the face. |
| St. John's wort oil | The dry mixture in the amount of 3 tablespoons should be poured with 200 ml of vegetable oil. The container with the product must be well wrapped in cloth and infused in a warm place for 3 weeks. It needs to be shaken periodically. Then it is recommended to strain the product through cheesecloth. Use the remaining oil to treat rashes on the face. The procedure must be repeated twice a day for 2 weeks. |
| St. John's wort (tincture) | Dry shoots must be poured with vodka in a ratio of 1:5 and left for a week. Gently lubricate pimples with the finished product. |
| Chamomile flowers | Pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over a tablespoon of dried flowers and leave for about half an hour. Then the product should be filtered through a sieve. The resulting infusion is used as a compress. |
The folk remedies for fighting acne presented in the table show high effectiveness. Compresses are considered the most affordable option. They must be applied 6 times with a break of 5 minutes. For each procedure you need to make a new compress. The duration of such therapy is 1 month.
