Acne and adolescence go together like peanut butter and jelly. But what’s been happening for the last few years – in the press and certainly on the minds of my patients who are parents – is that acne isn’t just a teen issue anymore but is affecting greater numbers of tweens and even kids reaching down into the single digits.
So, is newbie acne really happening or is it just another headliner floating around? Based on my experience and that of my colleagues at our Acne Treatment Center, I would have to answer with a qualified yes.
A matter of terminology
Personally, the youngest acne patient I’ve ever treated was 8 years old. But before going any further, let me clarify a very important point. ‘Acne’ is not all that accurate a term because it covers such a huge swath of territory. Technically, someone who has one single blackhead is classified as having acne, just as someone with seriously inflamed cystic pustules does. So if a 10-year-old comes into my office with a sprinkling of blackheads or whiteheads on his nose (that is, non-inflammatory acne), I’m not too alarmed.
A matter of hormones
When it comes to inflammatory acne – red and inflamed pimples, pustules and cysts – in younger kids, that’s where alarm bells go off. Inflammatory acne is triggered by hormones and hormones are the harbingers of puberty.
Multiple studies, including those published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, have acknowledged that puberty is occurring at younger ages than ever before and it’s happening in both boys and girls. Most researchers conclude that hormones and antibiotics in our food (from non-organic meat and dairy sources) along with skyrocketing childhood obesity rates are the primary culprits. Unfortunately, once puberty starts, there is no turning back.
The best approach to acne
You can take comfort that most newbie acne is blackheads and whiteheads. For girls, it usually starts on the forehead, for boys it’s in the peach-fuzzy sideburn areas. For these non-inflammatory kids and tweens, I recommend a topical product containing exfoliating ingredients like retinols or salicylic acid, along with regularly scheduled cleansing facials.
I also recommend using the Clarisonic Skin Care System. It works to dislodge plugged pores and debris far better than just a washcloth. This is also the time to start hammering home the message of the importance of prevention and NOT picking.
But if and when the inflammation kicks in, and pimples and pustules are popping up, that’s when it’s time to consult a dermatologist. Please understand that when it comes to youth and acne, seeing an expert is not a frivolous expenditure. We have made such extraordinary strides in acne treatments that we now have the power to free our young generations from the heartbreak, embarrassment and discomfort of problem skin. Newbie acne happens but it doesn’t have to destroy your child’s skin
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