They say beauty is only skin deep. That may be, but the difficulties that we can develop when we are not considered "flawless" are not just skin deep.

My friend, for example, has a teenaged son with acne problems. His acne is slightly noticeable and yet people make fun of him. Even his closest friends had started teasing him.

At first he just shrugged it off, but then it started affecting him. He started avoiding parties, school functions and football games. He even ceased going to his club meetings.

Not long after, she told me what the problem was. The comments were affecting his feeling. He hated the way he looked and had chose to stay away from his school friends so they wouldn't bother him.

His parents began worrying when he choose to stay home instead of going out. He used to be outgoing and the life of the party. Now he would just spend hours by himself.

They finally decided to take him to a therapist. It turned out that the seemingly innocent comments that everyone made had led him to develop a social phobia. He was suffering from an anxiety disorder brought on by his acne problem.

I was stunned. Teenagers and acne go together like peanut butter and jelly. I never thought that acne could be go beyond the physical consequences it presents.

He actually started going to weekly sessions with a therapist to deal with the anxiety. He's also started going to a dermatologist to get specialized treatment for his acne.

Treating the Psychological and Physical Problems of Acne

Therapy has helped him with his self image. All of the times he was teased or laughed at his self esteem would break down just a little. Now it was time for him to re-establish his self esteem and the image he had of himself.

His therapist also advised him to seek professional help from a dermatologist and not to rely just on over the counter drugs as treatments for acne. The dermatologist led him towards some natural acne products that would help his skin clear up and not cause any side effects.

Now he depends on a specific skin care routine specially tailored for his skin care needs. He still has some minor breakouts, but he can control them both physically and psychologically.

Next time you think about teasing anyone with acne, remember that the problems that come with acne don't disappear just because the pimples go away.