Dear DOLLY DR,
"My pimples are out of control. I have them all over my face, and all over my back. None of my friends get them like I do. Mum keeps saying I’ll grow out of it but I just want them to go away. Is there anything I can do?
Georgia
Although nearly every teenager gets acne, not as many get severe acne, but all types of acne can be treated. Once acne affects another part of the body as well as the face it can be classified as moderately severe and you would probably benefit from taking some medication to help clear it up.
You do not have to wait until you grow out of it, and depending on the types of pimples you get, it can be useful to treat them now to prevent scarring. It’s something that your doctor needs to assess first, so you get the treatment that’s best for you. Apart from keeping your skin clean, avoiding blocking your pores (which might be caused by some types of makeup, for example), keeping your skin healthy with a balanced diet and exercise and drinking lots of water, and using topical acne preparations, there might be prescription medication that can help.
One option is antibiotics that kill off some of the skin bacteria responsible for pimple formation. Another option is the oral contraceptive pill that has hormones that help reduce the oiliness of the skin. Prescription medications are effective but they take several weeks or even months to work so you don’t get immediate results.
Get some advice from your doctor and go from there.
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