Teenage Acne
Teenage acne can be frustrating. You’re finally entering high school, going to social events and thinking about the future – and then acne pops up at the most inopportune time. Dr. Schweiger explains that, “the reason that acne affects many teenagers is that, during the teenage years, androgen hormones begin to have a greater influence on the body. For the skin, the increased androgen influence means more sebum production in the skin’s follicles. Greater sebum production provides a more hospitable environment for p. acnes bacteria, and therefore more acne develops on the skin.”
Although some people recommend “waiting it out” until teenage acne resolves on its own, we have enough experience with acne to know that this is not the path to take. Teenage acne can sometimes take years to improve, during which time permanent scars are developing on the skin. There is no need to accept acne and wait for it to pass, most acne medications are simple to use and very effective.
For our teenage patients, we often recommend one cream in the morning (usually a benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin combination medicine) and one cream in the evening (usually a gentle retinoid cream.) For patients with moderate to severe acne, we may start a short course of oral medication (pills) as well. At the Clear Clinic, we have found that our teenage patients respond particularly well to in-office laser and light treatments. Many of our teenage acne patients begin treatment with the Isolaz acne treatment and Photodynamic Therapy.
