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INCREASINGLY, more and more
stories in the news are linking adolescents,
acne and depression. This is a serious
concern to many parents as they watch their
children grow. Being involved in the
prevention and treatment of acne is an
excellent way of taking a proactive step in
your child’s mental health.
The main
cause of concern in this subject is the
treatment of adolescent acne with the drug
Accutane (generic name: Isetretinoin.)
This drug is marketed under several generic
names including, but not limited to, Roaccutane
and Clarus in Canada. It comes in two
strengths and can only be obtained through a
medical doctor’s prescription. In the
United States, patients must sign an oath that
they will take the prescriptions
diligently. Renewals can only be made at
the doctor’s office and must be done on a
monthly basis. This action is to record a
study of people using the medicine, how long
they are taking it for and their individual
results. The program is called
iPledge.
Beyond
the prescription drugs that are sometimes
ordered for acne, many teen and adult acne
sufferers feel depressed because they think
that their appearance has altered. In a
recent study done for a news network in Canada
of teens aged 13-18, 24% of respondants
indicated that body appearance caused them
stress. Of these respondants, 50% of
girls said that they ate more while depressed,
where 33% of boys said they did the same.
These results point to teens who do not turn to
their peers or parents for support, but are
hiding their emotions.
As a
parent, what can you
do?
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You can
start by having an open dialogue with your
teen. The best place to accomplish this
is in the car, where you are not doing anything
but concentrating at the same time.
Bringing up these issues is important to your
child because it shows that you care enough to
notice that they are hurting. Discuss
treatments for acne and visiting a
dermatologist. If you are the type of
parent that does not advocate the use of
prescription medication, consider looking into
ZENMED’s line of acne treatment. The
DermaCleanse system is a natural, easy to
follow program of internal capsules and
external, topical treatments guaranteed to
clear up acne and is risk free to buy for 60
days.
Having an
open dialogue about every aspect of their lives
is the best way to communicate with your
teen. They will appreciate your presence
in their lives and you will be able to keep
tabs on them!
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Back
in1948 was the first time that depression was
noted in the treatment of acne. The first
doctors to take note of the depression were Drs
Sulzberger and Zaidens who said “there is no
single disease which causes more psychic trauma
and more maladjustment between parents and
children, more general insecurity and feelings
of inferiority, and greater sums of psychic
assessment than does acne
vulagris.”
Having a
treatment for acne is the first step, results
will follow and self esteem after that.
Help your teen help his or her self by being
proactive and taking the first stride in the
treatment of this debilitating illness.
With your help and experience, you can make
their lives easier. Leading by example,
you can do research into acne and help them
make educated decisions about their
treatment.
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