Statistics
• Acne is the most common skin disorder in the Caribbean.
• Nearly 85 per cent of all people have acne at some point in their lives, most often on the face, chest, and back.
• By mid-teens, more than 40 per cent of adolescents have acne or acne scarring, which requires treatment by a dermatologist.
Acne care and treatment
Adolescence, from the Latin word ‘adolescere’ means to grow up. Adolescence is the period of life where teenagers will undergo puberty, which is a ‘transitional stage between childhood and adulthood that involves biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes’ (yan yan’s adolescence). During puberty, teenagers experience a rapid physical growth and psychological changes due to a surge in hormone production. Examples of the effects on puberty on teenagers are development of facial and genital hair, development of breast in girls and changes in voice in boys. The development tasks of teenagers during puberty also include developing a sense of identity and self-worth, and hence, teenage acne has a high potential to cause adverse psychological and societal effects on teenagers (5). In this essay, the focus will be on the psychological and societal impact of teenage acne developed during puberty on teenager.
Acne vulgaris, also known as acne, pimple or zit, is very common in teenagers, over 90% of males and 80% of females will be affected by the age of 21 years [1](1). Teenage acne is a skin disorder results from the action of androgen, a male sex hormone released during puberty. Male sex hormone is not only found in men but also found in lesser amount in women. Therefore, both male and female teenagers have the tendency to suffer from teenage acne. The hormone causes the sebaceous gland on the skin to secrets sebum, an oily substance on skin. Sebum is then secreted onto the skin surface via the hair follicles opening. Mixture of oil and cells allows the growth of bacteria in the follicle openings. When the growth of bacteria...