A majority of children have flawless skin until they are thirteen or fourteen year old. Just when they are ready to face the world and enjoy their teen years, a few angry outbreaks called pimples or acne start to mar their skin. In some cases, they just come once in a while and go away without a trace. While in most other cases, they make their appearance, take their own time to go, and leave an ugly scar behind. Pimples can play spoilsport on loveliest of faces and damage one’s self confidence to no extent.

I have teenaged son who has been plagued by pimples for the last year and a half. I must have tried all kinds of acne products on him right from ayurvedic to homeopathic, but to no avail. They used to go away only to reappear after a few days. I used to worry to such an extent that curing his pimples became a pet obsession with me. He has good looking features, but his pimples marred the effect. At last, I thought of going back to my old and trusted pimple cream called ‘Clearasil’. I used to apply it as a teenager to cure my pimples way back in the late seventies.

This world renowned specialist acne product has been in existence for decades and has been quite popular in the Indian market and in several other countries. The product is water based and contains salicylic acid, emollients, humectants and emulsifiers. It happens to be very gentle on the skin and does not scar it in any way. I advise my son to wash his face thoroughly at night with Clearasil face wash and then apply the cream lightly on entire face. The cream not only alleviates pimples but acts as a preventive too. His face is much clearer than before. The acne product may be used as a make up base too.

Acne is very common with teenagers. Teenagers experience the pains of acne on many different levels. The social impact goes much deeper than any physical one could ever. The marks of shame, depression, and even self pity can be too much for someone who is still trying to find his/her identity.

As a parent to one of these teenagers who suffer from the effects of acne, you can be the greatest help that they will ever get. What can you do? you can do a lot.

As their parent, you need to be there for them to give them the encouragement they need. To inform them and remond them that acne is only temporary. Always reinforce the importance of moving on no matter how much criticism they get from their peers, that their words are not what’s important.

Locate a good dermatologist for them and assure them that you will do what ever they need to get past this natural point in their life. Don’t wait until the acne problem gets worse before you seek out medical advice. Be with your child for support during visits with the doctor. Help them folloe the doctor’s orders and his directions.

Boost your child’s self-confidence, remind them of their talents. Be generous with your praises, but don’t use them to just flatter him/her. Their esteem will be low and if you try too hard or too much, they’ll see your actions and that could cause even more self-esteem issues.

Provide them with the knowledge of handling acne, compile information for them to read to make them aware of different ways to combat the problem.

As their parent, it your responsibility to be there for them. Not only that, they need to see the love you have for them through this difficult time.