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Psychological Effects of Acne
Adolescence is the probably most emotionally sensitive period of a
person’s
life. So many physical, emotional and social changes take place that
a teenager is almost always on a roller coaster ride of fragile feelings
and sentiments.
At this delicate juncture of growing up, almost 75% of teenagers and
young adults suffer from acne which can have a profound negative impact
on their personality. Under such social pressure, a skin disorder
like acne can and does effect people’s psychological well-being,
self perception and quality of life. Ironically enough, what most people
don't know is that acne is 100%
treatable.
It’s not that only teenagers suffer psychological effects
of acne. The number of adults in their 30s and 40s suffering
from acne is steadily increasing and the assumption that adult
patients don’t suffer trauma associated with acne is
wrong.
More than half of all adult women and about a quarter of
adult men are known to be suffering from acne, and it’s
also becoming clear that the social, physical and psychological
effects of this skin disease leave their mark on them as well.
For many years, it was assumed that the older patients did
not suffer the psychological trauma of acne as they adjusted
with the condition more easily than the teenage patients,
accepting the physical manifestation of acne as part of their
life and not as some social stigma. But, now it’s emerging
that acne not only scars the adult skin more deeply, it effects
the psyche of the adult patient equally as it does a teenager.
As the adult skin loses collagen, its ability to heal the
damaged tissue starts diminishing. This not only creates permanent
physical scars
in older patients, but it scars them psychologically as well.
The difference is that till recently adult patients suffered
this psychological trauma privately and alone. But now, as
dermatologists have started taking acne as a general skin
disease rather that just a teenage skin disorder, adult patients
have started facing their hidden trauma and seeking treatment
for acne more openly. Dermatologists know that acne is treatable,
and psychologists are starting to team up with them to deliver
promising solutions. Click here to read more about solutions.
To gauge the psychological damage to adult psyche by acne scarring,
makers of an injectable collagen did a study on a group of
men and women to discuss their feelings before and after removal
of their acne scar. The study found that the adults suffering
from acne scarring generally lacked self confidence, tended
to be introverted, avoided eye contact with other people,
tried to hide their face by hair styling and usually kept
their head down .They also carried a profound sense of guilt
as if having acne and scars was their fault. After the removal
of acne scars these people developed new self confidence and
mingled with other people more easily.
Many acne sufferers go into depression because of lower self esteem.
They tend to withdraw from social circles and isolate themselves from
society. They give into feelings of embarrassment and a negative self
image. This may lead to frustration, anger and deep depression. These
negative psychological symptoms stop the patients from pursuing life’s
opportunities, not only socially but also in work place.
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How people face the psychological trauma of having acne differs from
person to person. Still, there are a lot of common psychological symptoms
which these people share. If teenagers become prone to suppressed anger
and rebelliousness, then adult sufferers become more withdrawn in themselves.
Acne scarring leads people to lose self esteem and self confidence.
They become more and more obsessed with their skin and outer appearance,
sometimes overdoing make-up and dressing up to distract attention from
their skin disorder. They withdraw from friends and social circle and
have a poor body posture.
Unlike other skin disorders, acne occurs on the most visible
part of our body, the face. One individual and social perception
of acne is that it is cause by unhygienic habits. In one study
conducted by dermatologists, it was found that around 30%
of people suffering from acne believed that poor skin hygiene
was one of the causative effects of acne. This social belief
creates a stigma that can lead a feeling of embarrassment,
guilt and shame.
So what can be done?
Fortunately, medical professionals have developed solutions that everyone
can benefit from. Ironically, those with acne may be some of the cleanest
members of the population out there due to the fact that they try to
wash the hardest. A cruel twist to that scenario is that some that
scrub too hard actually make acne worse.
What dermatologists recommend
highly is a three-step kit approach to treating acne. By doing this,
you effectively exfoliate the top dead layer of skin, exposing the
bacteria. The second step is generally applying a toner which works
to help cleanse the freshly opened pores and exfoliated skin. The last
step is a restoring cream made of 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide that works
to kill the bacteria associated with acne, and prevent it from coming
back. We personally recommend our effective three-step kit, Tru-derma,
which we have built to stringently conform to the specifications of
medical professionals and dermatologists. To jump to information on
Tru-derma, click here.
Other Resources:
http://dermatology.cdlib.org
www.acne.com
Dr. Poulos, Palstic Surgeon, Marine County, www.poulosmd.com/acne_treatment.html
http:// about-acnetreatment.com
http://www.dermaxime.com/effect_of_acne_pimples.html
http://dermatology.cdlib.org
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