The Social Impact of Acne

How acne affects people’s lives
“There is no single disease which causes more psychic trauma, more maladjustment between parents and children, more general insecurity and feelings of inferiority and greater sums of psychic suffering than does acne vulgaris.” –Sulzberger & Zaldems, 1948

While known for quite some time, the psychosocial effects of acne have not been fully appreciated until recently. The reasons for this are many. After all, everyone gets acne to one degree or another. In most cases, it goes away on its own. While it’s running its course, it is not a serious threat to anyone’s overall physical health. In addition, until the last couple of decades, there was very little anyone could do to treat it.

Acne, nonetheless, has a significant impact on a person’s outlook on life. Recent studies have detected the following as common among people with acne:

* Social withdrawal

* Decreased self-esteem

* Reduced self-confidence

* Poor body image

* Embarrassment

* Feelings of depression

* Anger

* Preoccupation

* Frustration

* Higher rate of unemployment

The effects listed above are often interrelated, with one effect leading to another and another, only to make the first effect worse. These negative psychosocial effects can have a crippling impact, discouraging patients from pursuing life’s opportunities–socially, on the job, or at school.

Actual quotes from people with acne
The fact is, people with acne generally hate the way they look with acne. Let people with acne tell you-here are some testimonials about living with acne*:

Verbatim #1
“I don’t look in mirrors…. I am like a vampire–I shy away from mirrors. I comb my hair using my silhouette on the wall to show the outline of my head. I have not looked myself in the eyes in years, and is painful not to be able to do that, and that is a direct result of acne, the acne scarring.”

Like a vampire, hating mirrors! Unable to face himself, how can this person hope to face the world?

Verbatim #2
“I think that if I had more self-esteem about the way I looked, I think I would have been more outgoing. I would have gone to more parties. I probably would have been more outspoken in class and would not have felt so insecure about going up and speaking in front of a group of classmates.”

Here is an extrovert, turned in on himself (or herself) because of acne. Who knows how different things would have been if he didn’t have acne?

Verbatim #3
“It is really humiliating to feel like I have no control over my acne. I hold my head down and I am ashamed to look at: people, embarrassed. I am 25 years old and to be acting this way is very frustrating.”

In just three sentences, this person revealed humiliation, lack of control, shame, embarrassment and frustration. With the treatments available today, there is no reason to suffer like this.

Verbatim #4
“It’s associated with being dirty, and I hate that, because it’s not at all like that. I inherited it from my mother, and she’s always telling me that she had the exact same thing and that it will go away. I am mad that I inherited it from her. My dad makes me feel bad because he never had bad skin when he was younger, so he doesn’t understand…. I hate that the first thing people see when they look at me is bad skin. I really. really hate that.”

Myths about acne are a common source of family conflict. Teenagers tend to be rebellious anyway–do they need to have acne misinformation driving another wedge between them and their parents? One myth that makes this family situation worse: The notion that nothing can be done to clear serious acne sooner than if it were left alone.

Verbatim #5
“I feel like I don’t look right no matter how hard I try to dress up and look nice–there is always that area of pimples there, and it is very unsettling. There really hasn’t been a day gone by that I don’t think about it, or look at my face…. Should I spend that much energy on it? I could be doing other things…instead of wasting 5 to 10 minutes every day looking at my face in the mirror, or playing with it, picking at my acne.”

This person is so preoccupied with acne that he almost neurotically picks at it. He is also clearly frustrated, as acne thwarts all attempts at achieving a good appearance.

These testimonials show the extent of the psychological, emotional and social disturbances that acne can cause. Clearing up the acne would relieve the source of these disturbances, but many people don’t realize that something can be done.

Many myths about acne, especially regarding diet and hygiene, are still considered to be true. And many parents and older siblings are stuck in the attitude of past generations that nothing can really be done but wait it out.

Making matters worse, there is confusion among people with acne and their families about what works and what doesn’t. They are often frustrated by products that promise to clear skin but that don’t work for them.

Some nonprescription products may be more effective than others, but dermatologists have treatments that work just about 100% of the time. Most cases of acne can be cleared up with the right treatment.

Kerwin Chang writes for http://www.acnestuff.net where you can find out more about acne and other skin care topics.

Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com

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Facts About How To Get Rid Of Acne Quickly

Acne is a skin problem that many people all over the world suffer from. Unfortunately it can make a person very aware of how angry and red their skin looks. Over time this can really effect a person. ‘s self-confidence and this can be very damaging to them. Here are some ideas on how to get rid of acne easily that you might want to try out at home.

The first thing you need to know is that skin care products that contain oil are not good for acne. These will clog the skin and leave the pores is unable to breathe. Over time this can actually produce more acne, so make sure you avoid oil based products whenever you can.

Dermatological cream can also be used to reduce acne on the skin. Choose one that has a medical approval and you will be sure to be using a good cream. You may find these are quite costly, but they contain ingredients to reduce acne and they do work.

You must never pick at your acne or squeeze the spots. It can be so tempting to do this but it will make your acne 10 times worse. Picking acne can also lead to infections, scarring and bleeding – something that everyone with acne wants to avoid.

In some cases a person. ‘s acne reaches a stage where they feel as though it is getting worse. In these cases it is a very good idea to speak to your doctor. It could be that the acne is infected and a course of antibiotics are needed to clear the infection. When you visit your doctor he or she will be able to tell if your acne is infected and prescribe something to treat it.

When cleansing your face make sure that you only use gentle products. It is important to keep your skin as clean as possible, but do not scrub at your skin. Doing this will irritate the acne and make it worse than it was before. So take care of your skin and treat it kindly and this will work to reduce the acne over time.

Women who use the contraceptive pill need to be aware that this can actually cause acne. Speak to your doctor about this and they should be able to give you a different contraceptive that could help to improve the condition of your skin.

Don’t use facial scrubs that are very harsh as these will hurt your skin and do nothing for your acne. Many people believe that acne can be scrubbed away. ??” it can’t. So bear this in mind when you are choosing your skin care products.

By taking note of these tips on how to get rid of acne can help you to improve the condition of your skin. Acne is not nice to live with but with good advice you can work to reduce it and rid yourself of acne for good.

I like many of you who is reading this, had problem: how to get rid of acne? But my life totally changed and I cleared my acne for good using an entirely healthy method. Now I feel great and I can look at myself in the mirror again! You should check out my story! How to get rid of a pimples? – advice: Peter Skonctueht.

How To Get Rid Of Acne – Face Up To Facts Acne Truly Sucks!

No-one would wish acne upon themselves or another individual, no more than they would wish a permanent cloud of mosquitoes to hang around their heads. This condition really sucks, so learning how to get rid of acne, could be one of the wisest learning decisions you ever make, your whole life.

World-wide, acne is a common disorder, it doesn’t skip age or race groups and everyone has the possibility of contracting this affliction. It is living with it that is so difficult! Life with acne is not walk in the park, the self esteem and confidence suffer perhaps more than even more than the outward appearance of an acne sufferer. If you think acne scars run deep, think about the psychological scars this skin condition can reap.

Self esteem is hard to maintain for anyone suffering from acne, some people may even get depressed and need treatment for it. Although acne does affect all age groups, one of the biggest age groups is teens. They are already hormonal, and enduring conflicting emotions so the appearance of acne is not going to make things get better.

Many people are the same, and can you imagine the psychological damage my sister in-law would experience if her face burst out in acne? I can! Many people are this lacking in self-confidence, she is not weird or alone in this.

No matter how often you read that inspirational book or practice the mantra’s gurus to help overcome an aversion to your “outer” appearance and focus on “inner” beauty, an acne sufferer still believes they look like the “Elephant Man”, overexposed to society! After sweeping the floors or gardening my sister in law refuses to go to a local store for a loaf of bread in case she is seen looking dirty.

Very like my sister-in-law, a good-looking outer appearance matters hugely. Many acne sufferers feel the same and this is not abnormal, so you can imagine how much looking like this hurts! The exposure is just awful and unfortunately, in the majority acne appears on the face.

Being a lingering condition, it is only lifestyle changes which make a difference, so commitment to this when learning how to get rid of acne is vital. Work on the inside as well as the outside, not magic potions exist that you can take and wake up in the morning to find it was all a bad dream. Cleansing and treating the skin well, is as important as cleansing and treating the body well and this means take a long hard look at diet too.

Acne is a health problem, it is not who you are, to overcome the feeling that you are your acne, learn as much as you can about managing it, and you will manage it with the right level of determination.

As much as the skin needs to be clean and treated, so does the digestive tract to purify the blood. Drink water, eat fresh fruit and vegetables and fiber, and education is vital. Bad habits soon go and good habits replace them in perpetuity if this is kept up.

I like many of you who is reading this, had problem: how to get rid of acne? But my life totally changed and I cleared my acne for good using an entirely natural method. Now I feel great and I can look at myself in the mirror again! You should check out my story! How to get rid of a pimples? – advice: Peter Skonctueht.