Tips to treat acne

Frequently asked questions

The work, coordinated by Dr. Aurora Guerra, head of service at Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, points out that only 73 percent of the students interviewed acknowledged having acne, and a large number of them are reluctant to put themselves in the hands of a specialist

Young people prefer to ask their parents or friends for advice about the care their skin needs. In fact, 82 percent of them say they never went to a dermatologist. In order to improve the education of young people on hygiene and skin care and the means to prevent and treat acne properly, has launched the campaign ‘To the grain colleague’, aimed at young people between 12 and 18 years old. The program will distribute an informative book prepared by dermatologists from Spain and has set up a website (http://www.algranocolega.com) where preventive advice is offered to the adolescent population.

Concerned about the appearance

In a population group that gives a lot of importance to external appearance such as young people, acne is often a cause of complexes that can affect social relationships and even school performance. A million young Spaniards say they are self-conscious about this cause. By sex, 48 percent of the girls declared themselves self-conscious about their skin problems compared to 29 percent in the case of boys.

According to the epidemiological study, 30 percent of adolescents with severe acne declare that they have stopped leaving home at some time as a result of their skin problems. “Problems with the image are characteristic of adolescence,” explains Dr. Carmen Ponce, a psychiatrist at the Hospital Clínico de Madrid. ‘They are frequent among them the dysmorphobias or fears that some corporal characteristic constitutes a barrier in their social relations’. In the opinion of this expert, in cases in which the complex interferes with their daily life, the psychologist’s task should be oriented towards the adolescent relativizing the problem. “We have to convince him that external appearance is only part of us and that other aspects intervene in the socialization process,” says Ponce. However, Acne can be linked to more serious psychological disorders. ‘Epidemiological studies conducted outside Spain suggest that 50 percent of adolescents with acne have anxiety and between 18 and 44 percent suffer depression , “explains Aurora Guerra. ‘Although in most cases the disorder disappears when the acne subsides, the depressive symptoms can persist and even become chronic’.

• 1. We must abandon hypercritical thinking.
• 2. It is convenient to be generous with oneself in order to be generous with others.
• 3. Do not lock yourself in yourself. Enjoy with your friends and discover everything that life can bring you.
• 4. Take responsibility for your own personal development.
• 5. Learn to assess your skills, qualities, interests and needs.
• 6. Self-love is a fundamental feeling to have a harmonious personal development and rewarding new experiences, as it motivates us in the face of failures and failures, reinforces us and helps us to set goals and aspirations.
• 7. Accept personal qualities and shortcomings as a prior premise to develop your possibilities.
• 8. Take care and respect your space and that of others.
• 9. A healthy personal care (both internal and external) will allow you to feel more secure, with yourself and with others.
• 10. This last point must be developed by you, with freedom and responsibility, in the decision making of each day.