What every boy should know. Jan van Elfen

If you have sensitive skin, you’ll have to use a sharp blade and avoid ordinary soap and water, as this could irritate your skin. After shaving, it’s nice to rub aftershave lotion or cream on your face – if you can afford it!

      This is also a good time to take responsibility for protecting your skin against sun damage. Despite being preventable, skin cancer is common in South Africa. You should use a sunscreen whenever you go out in the sun. And don’t think that skin cancer affects only fair-skinned people – everyone is at risk.

      Acne

      Usually, illness and other physical problems won’t play a major role in your life at this stage. But acne mars the lives of many young people. This is easy to understand, since three-quarters of them suffer from it during puberty. A shiny forehead is as typical of your age as the slowly hardening fluff on your face.

      Very few teenagers regard acne as nothing to worry about. But sensitive teenagers feel particularly unhappy about it, because they think it looks like sores. It makes them feel even more self-conscious and inferior.

      With most young people, pimples appear for a limited time and then go away again. Yet there are adults who still suffer from pimples. Teenagers should try to accept acne as a normal part of life, but if it causes so much unhappiness that it stops them leading a normal life, then something should be done about it.

      Many silly stories have been spread about pimples. There is no truth, for example, in the rumour that they are caused by petting or dirty blood.

      It’s no coincidence that pimples first appear during puberty. Testosterone is not only responsible for physical growth and sexual maturation, but also stimulates the sebaceous glands, causing them to secrete too much oil. Oil covers the skin and protects it, but too much can be a problem. Excessive secretion mainly occurs in the glands in the face, shoulders and back.

      The ducts of the overactive oil glands and their pores (openings in the skin) then tend to enlarge. The build-up of oil and other impurities forms a comedo (blockage) in the gland’s duct. The oxygen in the air then causes the comedo to turn black – and you have a blackhead.

      A deeper blockage forms a whitehead. Through the action of an enzyme (a substance that promotes chemical reactions), the skin oil becomes a free fatty acid which seeps into the skin layers at the surface when the glandular duct bursts as a result of the pressure caused by the blockage. This acid causes inflammation and the formation of pimples. So don’t believe pimples are caused by dirty blood or internal poisons. However, germs on your skin or fingers can infect the pimples, which then turns them into red, painful cysts.

      Blackheads cause shallow, yellow pimples which heal without leaving scars, but whiteheads can leave scars if they’re not treated with care. Someone with pimples is often his own worst enemy, since he himself spreads them over his skin. Because pimples are so ugly and irritating, it is difficult to resist fiddling with or squeezing them. This, however, mostly leads to bruising and secondary infections which make pimples worse and cause scarring.

      Please remember that pimples don’t leave any marks on the skin. It’s the bruising and infection that cause damage and leave permanent, ugly marks. Therefore, follow this golden rule: keep your fingers away from your face!

      What normally happens is that acne disappears automatically in the late teens or early twenties. The pimples then vanish without leaving any marks, unless serious damage has been caused by infection and overenthusiastic home treatment, or if deep scars have formed. Should there be scars, the skin can be cleverly “shaved” smooth by a plastic surgeon, after the pimples have cleared up.

      Here are a few more facts you should know about pimples:

      An oily skin is hereditary. Those with this skin type should take early precautions by cleansing the skin regularly and gently.

      Skin colour and gender do not affect skin type.

      Acne does not mean there are impurities in the blood. Manufacturers of medicines who try, through advertising, to mislead the public into believing this, should be prosecuted.

      Sport and other outdoor physical activities definitely do not make acne worse. Sweaty clothes should not, however, be worn for too long, and sporting activities should be followed by a bath or shower. Dirty clothes, especially those with a rough texture, could rub germs into the skin and aggravate acne, especially on the back and shoulders.

      Dandruff makes acne worse. If you notice you have this condition, treat it together with your acne. Use a medicinal shampoo, for example, one that contains sulphur or coal tar.

      With a girl, acne tends to get worse just before menstruation, because she has more progesterone in her blood. A doctor may prescribe a certain type of contraceptive pill that helps with acne. This pill cannot, however, be used by a boy, because it could cause feminine changes in his body.

      No convincing evidence has been found that chocolate, nuts, fizzy cool drinks, oily foods, confectionery and too much milk and other dairy products such as ice cream have an adverse effect on acne. According to the latest research, however, not eating a balanced diet can cause raised levels of insulin, which can lead to excessive secretion by the sebaceous glands.

      Emotions such as stress and depression don’t cause acne. Self-conscious acne sufferers could, however, eventually feel depressed and discouraged if their skin condition doesn’t clear up. This is the danger time when they should beware of prodding and pressing their pimples. Continually scratching the scab off a squeezed pimple slows healing and exposes it to secondary infection again.

      Although people jokingly refer to “petting pimples”, acne has nothing to do with your love affairs.

      But there is help available. There are in fact just two types of treatment for acne: the kind you can apply yourself, and that prescribed by a doctor. When treating acne at home, the following rules apply:

      Cleansing the skin. The face and other affected parts of your body should be washed thoroughly but gently two to three times a day with soap and water. Use any good soap. The problem with certain “special” skin remedies is that they often dry out or irritate the skin.

      Don’t scratch or squeeze pimples. There are germs under your fingernails that infect pimples. A “ripe” pimple may be gently squeezed out after you have thoroughly cleansed your hands and face with soap, water and disinfectant. To reduce bruising of the skin, place a small piece of clean tissue paper or cotton wool around your fingertips before you start.

      Follow a balanced diet with enough fresh vegetables, fruit and vitamins, and avoid too much greasy food and sweets.

      Wash your hair regularly to prevent oiliness. If you have dandruff, it should be treated.

      Medical advice should be sought if acne persists or gets worse. If you have the kind of pimples that form large cysts, you should see a doctor. And once you have consulted the doctor, follow his or her advice exactly.

      If home treatment doesn’t work and your pimples are getting you down, you should consult a doctor. If your problem is really bad, the doctor may refer you to a dermatologist (skin specialist). Medical treatment could include the following:

      The careful and sterile drainage of pimples.

      The prescription of antibiotics (oral and/or to be applied to the skin) on a long-term basis to reduce the formation of acid in the glandular ducts.

      Vitamin A in a carefully prescribed dosage might help, but should only be taken for a limited period and under a doctor’s supervision. Remember that too much can be dangerous.

      Ultraviolet radiation is used in special cases.

      Hormone preparations are recommended for certain patients.

      Removal of the top layer of skin is sometimes necessary to get rid of ugly scar tissue.

      So there is good reason to feel positive. Acne is mostly a temporary condition. But it must not be neglected. If home treatment doesn’t work, a doctor’s help is always available. Even the most stubborn cases can be healed. The most important thing you can do is to keep your hands as far away