It might very well appear fairly trivial to some people but to a teenager the onset of acne can all too often seem like the end of the world. Nearly all teenagers will get acne at some time and, in many cases, it is reasonably mild and more of an irritation than anything else. In other cases however acne can be severe and result in a negative body image and occasionally even serious depression. In all cases however there are various steps which you can take to assist your teenager in coping with the problems of acne.

A major problem with acne is the fact that there are numerous myths about acne which your child is very likely to hear in school or to pick up on such things as the Internet. You must therefore start by arming yourself with the truth and here are a few the principle facts about exactly what causes acne and what sort of things can actually make an attack of acne worse:

* Genetics � some kids are quite simply more prone to acne no matter what they do.

* Too much scrubbing � a lot of teenagers think than cleaning their skin well will help in getting rid of acne. While cleanliness is unquestionable important, scrubbing the skin too vigorously can both cause problems for existing pimples and also result in their spread.

* Squeezing pimples � many kids cannot resist the temptation to squeeze their pimples and this is something which we can all understand. However, despite the fact that this may appear to help things look better in the short term, it will only cause more problems in the long term.

* Diet � the precise connection between acne and diet is not terribly well understood just at the moment but there can be little doubt diet has a part to play when I comes to acne.

* Stress � whenever we are suffering from stress the normal chemical balance in our bodies is disturbed and this can add to the problems of teen acne.

* Makeup � a lot of children, both girls and boys, will attempt to use makeup to hide their acne. This can however produce problems both in terms of the skin's ability to breathe properly and of acne reacting to the chemicals contained within the makeup chosen.

The first thing that your teenagers need to understand is that acne is a natural part of growing up and, in particular, of the hormonal changes which are going on within their bodies. They must also understand that some teenagers will be affected more than others and that, whether or not they are one of the lucky ones, this is simply a phase which will pass given time.

Next, you teenagers need to be taught proper skin care and this is best done at an early age, and before acne appears if at all possible. However, if acne has already reared its ugly head it is not too late and skin care is one thing which they must both learn and practice.

Children need to wash their face in the morning and again in the evening with a mild soap and, when acne appears, with a specially formulated acne soap which can be bought over-the counter at the majority of supermarkets or drug stores. An important point to remember here is that washing twice a day is quite sufficient and that, although they may be tempted to wash more frequently this can actually dry the skin and make matters worse.

Over-the-counter acne soaps and washing will often do the trick, although this will not work overnight and your kids will need to be both persistent and patient. Where this does not do the trick however you will need to talk to your doctor or dermatologist. Your doctor or dermatologist may well recommend a stronger prescription medication which your teenager will again need to use for quite some time before it does the trick.

Undoubtedly, the most important step which you can take in helping your child to cope with acne is to start early. Your teenager may well be embarrassed by the appearance of acne and you may be reluctant to step in and try to assist if they have just a pimple or two. However, starting treatment early can often stop the problem in its tracks and prevent it from growing into a surprisingly serious problem.