Treating acne in teens

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Heading back to school can cause stress and stress can cause acne.

Ariel, 16, first noticed her skin was changing when she was just 10, acne appeared.

"I started getting a lot around here and my mouth area and I started getting a lot of blackheads and that got so annoying," Ariel Fonseza said.

Kmil is 20. He thought by now his skin would be clear.

"A lot of people are understanding of it but it's still uncomfortable to walk around when you have pimples all over your face or like zits, it's not aesthetically pleasing I'd say," Kmil Skotnicki said.

Both have turned to Dr. David Colbert for help. Ariel starts with a chemical peel.

"You're washing away bacteria, washing away a dead layer of skin and usually that will remove enough of the offending agent to cause an improvement," Dr. Colbert said.

Colbert warns you have to be very careful treating teens with acne, which many times is hormonally driven and at this age levels are peaking.

"This can drive the formation of cystic acne or the kinds of acne that can scar and scar us into our adult life," Colbert said if not treated properly.

Another way to kill harmful bacteria is blue light. Most patients will see a difference in their skin after receiving the treatment once or twice a week for about 3 months.

Kmil hopes to manage his breakouts and reduce inflammation by getting a cortisone injection, but if you are looking for an over the counter treatment, experts say there are a range of products that work and are very affordable.

One by Alba is all natural and costs under $10. Dr. Colbert says there are two must have ingredients when looking for a solution.

"Something with Salicylic acid to spot treat and something with benzoyl peroxide to reduce the amount of bacteria in the skin," he said.

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child health, health news, kemberly richardson

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