Look Your Best
Look Your Best
To look your best, may be as easy as pie for the majority of women and there are few emotions that can beat that feeling when you know that you look like a million dollars!
Every women deserves to look her best, however, some suffers from severe acne issues and it may have profound social and psychological effects.
These are not necessarily related to its clinical severity. Even mild acne can be significantly disabling.
What psycho-social problems does acne cause?
The psychological and social impacts of acne are a huge concern, especially because acne affects adolescents at a crucial period when they are developing their personalities. During this time, peer acceptance is very important to the teenager and unfortunately it has been found that there are strong links between physical appearance and attractiveness and peer status.
In recent years, open discussions between patients and medical professionals have revealed the impact acne has on the psyche. The following are some of the problems that patients with acne may face.
Self esteem and body image
- Some embarrassed acne patients avoid eye contact.
- Some acne sufferers grow their hair long to cover the face. Girls tend to wear heavy make-up to disguise the pimples, even though they know that this sometimes aggravates their acne. Boys often comment: “Acne is not such a problem for girls because they can wear make-up”.
- Truncal acne can reduce participation in sport such as swimming or rugby because of the need to disrobe in public changing rooms.
Social withdrawal/relationship building
- Acne, especially when it affects the face, provokes cruel taunts from other teenagers.
- Some find it hard to form new relationships, especially with the opposite sex.
- At a time when teenagers are learning to form relationships, those with acne may lack the self confidence to go out and make these bonds. They become shy and even reclusive. The main concern is a fear of negative appraisal by others. In extreme cases a social phobia can develop.
Education/work
- Some children with acne refuse to go school, leading to poor academic performance.
- Some people with acne take sick days from work, risking their jobs or livelihood.
- Acne may reduce career choices, ruling out occupations such as modelling that depend upon personal appearance.
- Acne patients are less successful in job applications; their lack of confidence being as important as the potential employers’ reaction to their spotty skin.
- More people who have acne are unemployed than people who do not have acne.
- Many young adults with acne seek medical help as they enter the workforce, where they perceive that acne is unacceptable and that they “should have grown out of it by now”.
Assessment of the impact of acne on the individual
Tools that assess the impact of acne on psycho-social factors and quality of life can be used in clinical practice and in clinical trials. They include:
- APSEA: Assessment of the Psychological and Social Effects of Acne
- ADI: Acne Disability Index
- CADI: Cardiff Acne Disability Index
- AQOL: Acne Quality of Life Scale
- Acne-QoL: Acne Quality of Life and Acne-Q4
Does acne cause depression?
In some patients the distress of acne may result in depression. This must be recognized and managed. Signs of depression include:
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Mood disturbance
- Behavioral problems
- Wakefulness
- Spontaneous crying
- Feelings of unworthiness.
In teenagers, depression may manifest as social withdrawal (retreat to the bedroom or avoidance of peers) or impaired school performance (lower grades or missed assignments). Severe depression from acne has resulted in attempted suicide and, unfortunately, successful suicide. Worrying statements include: “I don’t want to wake up in the morning”; “I’d be better off dead”; “I’m worthless”; “You’d be better off without me”. Parents, friends and school counselors need to take heed when they start to hear these types of comments.
Rarely, depression can be associated with acne treatment, particularly isotretinoin. There is much controversy about whether the drug causes depression. However, it is clear that depression often results from acne and the psychological disturbances described above.
Regardless of the cause, depression must be recognized and managed early. If you think you or someone you know may be depressed, contact your dermatologist or family doctor urgently for advice. Read more @ Source
Do you feel at all that you can’t look your best because you may have issues with acne scars?
There is a way to make it fade, so that you too can look the way you want to gain your confidence back. By using the correct products that are available on the market, you’ll have a flawless skin in no time.
To find out more about these products, please complete the form on the right.
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