SKIN CHANGES-SPOTS, ACNE, AND OTHER SKIN DISTURBANCES

posted by admin in Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction

At the same time that your perspiration glands are becoming more active, your body’s oil glands are also working harder. As we explained in more oil will be produced by the glands in your genital area, and this may make the skin of your penis and scrotum feel somewhat moist. The oil glands in your scalp may also start producing more. You may find that your hair gets more oily or greasy and that you have to shampoo it more often.

Skin changes-The oil glands in your skin are also affected by the hormones your body starts making during puberty. Your skin becomes more oily and for many boys and girls this leads to skin problems like spots. Some boys and girls have only mild problems with their skin; others have more severe problems; still others don’t have problems at all. But eight out of every ten teenagers have at least mild skin problems, and boys seem to be more susceptible than girls.

Spots and other skin disturbances happen because the hormones, such as testosterone, that your body begins making during puberty cause your oil glands to make excess amounts of a substance called sebum. You have oil glands all over your skin. They are especially numerous on your face, neck, shoulders, upper chest and back. Sebum is made in the lower part of the gland and travels through the duct to the pore, the opening on the surface of your skin.

If you’re producing a great deal of sebum, the pore may become clogged and a blackhead may form. A lot of people think that blackheads are little particles of dirt trapped in the pores. This isn’t true. Blackheads are black not from dirt but because the sebum and other substances produced by the glands sometimes turn black when they come into contact with the oxygen in the air.

Some boys and girls get whiteheads, which are also the result of sebum. The sebum gets trapped just below the surface of the skin and forms the small, raised whitish bumps we call whiteheads.

If blackheads are not removed, the sebum may continue -to fill the duct. This may cause pressure, irritation and inflammation. Germs can get in the duct and cause an infection. Whiteheads can also become inflamed and infected. Spots – red bumps that may be filled with whitish pus – may develop. If you have a serious case of spots, you may have a problem called acne. Acne can be very troublesome and may cause pitting or scarring of the skin.

Spots and acne are often more of a problem for those who naturally tend to have more oily skin. The oiliness of your skin type, plus the increased oil you produce during puberty, combine to make you a candidate for these kinds of skin problems. If you have oily skin and acne during your teens, you may find yourself wishing you had drier, less acne-prone skin. But when you’re older, you may be glad to have oily skin, because this type of skin doesn’t wrinkle as easily as dry skin does.

Acne also tends to ‘run in families’, so if your parents or older brothers and sisters had acne, you may be more likely to develop it. Many doctors believe that eating certain foods – chocolate, salty foods like nuts and crisps, and greasy foods — make a person more susceptible to acne. However, some doctors disagree. In one study the amount of chocolate eaten didn’t seem to have anything to do with acne. Still, if you find that certain foods give you spots, it’s best to avoid those foods.

Stress may also be a factor in acne. Lots of teenagers find that they ‘break out’ – that is, get a lot of spots -just before an important event – a dance, a big date, a match – that they’re particularly nervous or excited about.

Although sunlight may have a beneficial effect on acne and help to ‘dry out’ your skin, it may also aggravate the problem. In a hot dry climate, the sunshine may be helpful. However, hot humid (moist) climates may make acne even worse. Some teenagers sit under a sunlamp to help dry out their acne and/or to get a tan. This isn’t always a good idea. For one thing, sitting under a sunlamp can cause a severe sunburn, even if you sit there only for a minute more than the recommended time. While you’re under the lamp, it may not seem like much is happening, so it’s tempting to stay longer. All too often, this results in red, sunburnt skin the next day. If you use a sunlamp, follow the instructions carefully. Another problem with sunlamps, or for that matter, with prolonged sunbathing, is that it can cause your skin to age before its time. People who have spent a lot of time in the sun or under sunlamps may be wrinkly and look like they’re 50 or 60 by the time they’re 30. Overexposure to sunlight also increases your chances of getting skin cancer later in life. So be sure not to overdo the sun and tanning treatments.

Acne is most common between the ages of 14 and 17, although it also happens to older and younger boys and girls. In boys, it tends to be worse during Stages 3 and 4 of genital development.

Some teenagers are troubled by acne for only a year or two. Then their oil glands adjust themselves to the hormones, their skin becomes less oily and their acne and spots clear up. Others have these problems throughout their teenage years. For a few boys and girls acne continues to be a problem even after their teens.

The pupils in our classes generally want to know if there is anything they can do to prevent spots or to cure acne. We explain that although there aren’t any foolproof ways to prevent spots, or any 100 per cent effective cures for acne, there are some things that help many teenagers. Frequent shampoos will keep greasy, oily hair from adding to the oil on your skin. Washing the especially oily areas – your face, neck, shoulders, back and upper chest – at least once a day may also help prevent pimples. Washing removes the oil from the surface of the skin and helps keep your pores open. Wash with hot water, which helps open your pores, and rinse with cold water to close the pores up again. Wiping with a pad soaked in surgical spirit after you wash will remove any leftover oil and dirt. You can buy surgical spirit, which is very inexpensive, from a chemist, and use it on cottonwool balls or pads. Use it in moderation, though, so you don’t remove too much oil and leave your skin too dry.

If you have especially oily skin, you may want to wash two or three times a day with ordinary soap. If you tend to get spots, one of the antibacterial soaps sold in chemists may help. (Ask the chemist to recommend one.) If you have spots on your back, shower once or twice a day using an antibacterial soap and a back brush or loofah to scrub.

If you have blackheads, an abrasive soap or cleanser may help. (Again, ask your chemist to recommend one.) The abrasive in the soap often removes the blackheads and opens your pores. Be careful, though, because these soaps can irritate your skin. Don’t use them more often than the instructions recommend. Black teenagers should avoid abrasives because their skin has a tendency to develop lighter or darker patches in the areas where they’ve used the abrasives.

Washing, even with antibacterial soaps or abrasives, isn’t always enough to prevent spots and doesn’t do much to help acne. Occasionally, mild cases of acne can be cleared up by using medicated acne lotions and creams that are sold without prescription. If these medications and the washing routines we’ve described don’t take care of your problem and you’re really bothered by acne, you should see your GP, who may refer you to a dermatologist, a doctor who specializes in skin problems.

Often, parents say, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad’ or ‘Leave it alone, you’ll outgrow it.’ But if you take the time to explain to your parents how much your skin problems bother you, they’ll probably listen.

What can a dermatologist do for you? Well, that depends. If blackheads are a problem, the doctor can use a device called a comedo extractor to remove the blackheads. The comedo extractor (comedo is the medical term for blackhead) exerts pressure on the skin and causes the blackhead to pop out of the pore, thus unclogging the duct. The area round the blackhead may be a little red for a while, but unlike squeezing or ‘popping’ your blackheads with your fingers, the comedo extractor won’t cause scars. You should never pop your blackheads or spots because you might end up with permanent scars or pits. The extractor is used only on blackheads. Once you’ve got an actual spot, using the extractor may do more harm than good.

The dermatologist can also prescribe drugs that are more effective than the medications you can buy without a doctor’s prescription. For example, in certain cases the dermatologist may prescribe a drug called tetracycline. Tetracycline kills germs and can fight the infections that often start in clogged pores and lead to acne. This drug also cuts down on the amount of sebum your oil glands produce. For some teenagers, tetracycline works miracles and completely cures their acne. However, you should use it only according to your doctor’s orders because in some people it can cause problems, such as upset stomach and increased sensitivity to sunlight (sunburns). These and other side effects are usually fairly mild but you must follow your doctor’s orders carefully.

There are also other treatments a dermatologist can prescribe, so if you’re troubled by skin problems, it may be worth asking your GP to refer you to a dermatologist.

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