Spots

A teenage boy pointing to a spot on his chin and pulling an unhappy face

Spots are not your fault. They happen entirely naturally because you're growing up. 9 out of every 10 teenagers get them at one time or another. Even some grown-ups get them. Even famous beautiful people get them, behind all that professional makeup.

Normally, the sebaceous glands that are in your skin make stuff called sebum to keep your skin slightly oily. Sebum protects your skin and hair from drying out. Your sebaceous glands live all over your body near your hair follicles (the roots your hair grows out of). When you're in your teens, your body makes extra hormones called 'androgens'. These tend to make your sebaceous glands go bonkers and produce far too much sebum. Your skin gets greasy and the hair follicles get blocked up. At this stage it's a whitehead or blackhead spot.

If bacteria get inside the blocked follicle, it all gets infected and you get those nasty red or yellow spots. It is also a hideous law of nature that you will always get a spot just before your big date when you want to look your best!

Acne

A teenage boy with acne on his face and chest looking down at his chest
Acne is a very common skin condition, so do not worry too much if you have it. It includes getting scaly red skin, blackheads and whiteheads, pimples and sometimes it can leave your skin a bit scarred. The main places you can get acne include your face, the upper part of your chest, and over your back. Acne occurs most commonly during adolescence and quite often does continue into adulthood. In adolescence acne is usually caused by an increase in male sex hornones, and both boys and girls get acne because male sex hormones increase a bit in girls too during puberty. For most people acne goes away over time after you reach your early 20's but alas there is no way to tell when it will disappear completely. Acne does tend to decrease young people's self esteem, because it is not the prettiest thing in the world - BUT, BUT, BUT it can easily be treated, so go and see your chemist and ask them what they would recommend. If one type of treatment does not work, then try another. If you are being really upset by it - go and see your family doctor and get them to recommend something. One way or another you will find something which clears it up - so do not worry too much.

How to get rid of spots

A teenage girl washing her face with soap against a blue tiled background

Acne usually (but not always) disappears between the ages of 16 and 25. But you can help yourself long before that. Try various lotions and potions available from the chemist who should be able to advise you - but you don't need to go for the most expensive or cheap - they all have the same ingredients. Active ingredients include benzoyl peroxide which is good for treating and keeping spots away and antibiotics treat the bugs which are part of the problem. If one does not work - try another, and see what suits you best.

If they don't work after 2 months, go and see your doctor. He or she will know how horrible spots make you feel, and has a huge amount of anti-spot treatments to try. And if you're still at school and under 18, it's all FREE on prescription from your doctor.

Things which can make spots better

Various different vegetables against a blue sky background
The following things can make your spots better:
  • Sunshine - it makes you produce less sebum, fewer bacteria and dryer skin. Don't fry yourself, though.
  • Washing with special medicated soap once or twice a day.
  • Plenty of fruit and veg.
  • Changing to non-oily makeup - called 'non-comedogenic' on the packet.
  • Spot creams from the chemist.
  • Going to see the doctor.

Things which can make spots worse

A teenage boy with acne on his face squeezing a spot on his chin.
The following things can make your spots worse:
  • Squeezing them with dirty fingers.
  • Squeezing the red sort or the yellow sort.
  • Washing more than twice a day.
  • Heavy foundation cream.
  • Some shampoo, especially the de-frizzing sort.
  • Greasy moisturisers.
  • Periods (girls).
  • Stress (boys and girls).