The itch of teenage

May 31, 2010 03:37 pm | Updated 03:37 pm IST

Teen trouble: The joy of being young can be spoilt by hormones (photo for illustrative purpose only)

Teen trouble: The joy of being young can be spoilt by hormones (photo for illustrative purpose only)

Teenage is also a time when any minor comment can have an effect on the self esteem. It is under these circumstances that acne vulgaris or pimples can create a sense of insecurity for the adolescent.

The skin lining all over the body is filled with sebaceous glands or something similar to sweat glands and are usually referred to as hair follicles or pores. These are fine sac like structures which give the smooth texture to the skin by producing an oily substance on to the surface of the skin. But under certain circumstances especially during adolescence when the production of testosterone is at its peak, this hormone tends to block the outlet of the pore and appears as a raised surface over the skin and is called acne. Blackheads, whiteheads, zits or pimples; whatever they are termed tend to usually occur more commonly on the face, chest, shoulders and sometimes on the back. The pore that is filled with the sebum tends to get blocked by the hormone and there is a formation of secondary infection leading to obstruction of pus etc. This tends to spread along the surface of the skin causing cystic acne etc. Sometimes there is a purplish hue to the eruptions and it is called as Acne rosacea.

Acne tend to recur overtime even as one heals, and worse still, as they heal can cause pitting and scars. Pigmentation is also an occurrence as they heal due to blackheads. Acne are common in individuals with an oily skin and in individuals with a tendency for delayed shedding of skin cells across the surface. Women using oily cosmetics have a greater tendency to develop these. Due to hormone fluctuations the acne can be worse before menstrual cycle.

To normalise the shedding of skin cells, unclog the pores, prevent infection or in cases where there has already been a bacterial infection; to get rid of it are the usual tasks in treating acne. More importantly to reduce the incidence and the acne leading to infection and scarring are the goals of treatment with homoeopathic medicine. Sarsaparilla, Alumina help in retaining the tone of the skin so that the texture improves. Merc sol, Hepar sulph, Silicea, Carbo animalis help in clearing the bacterial infection in the acne and also prevent rosacea like symptoms even as Natrum mur and Natrum carb help in warding off the environmental influences. Berb aqui, Nux juglans, Sulph help in seeing that the recurrence of acne reduces over a period of time.

Bloody nose

Every time I suffer from a cold I also suffer from a bleeding from the nose. I am also easily susceptible to changes in weather.

abc

Bleeding from the nose or epistaxis as it is called does occur during a cold and is not a cause for concern. Only if it lasts for more than 15 minutes on an occasion that it should be investigated for. But your susceptibility can be improved with drugs like Amm carb, Phos , etc. Consult a homoeopath.

Blood sugar

I suffered from a viral infection three days ago and was hospitalised. Though I am a diabetic with oral medication for five years, during the hospitalisation I had to be given Insulin to bring down the levels. Would I need insulin injections from now onwards?

xyz

During times of stress whether physical or mental; body gears up to fight an infection and looks to provide the cells of the body with enough glucose to do so. The blood sugar levels go up but would normalise in due course. But if the increased levels persist; I am sure you should use homoeopathic medicines like Acid phos, Arg nit, Aurum met, Lycopodium under the advice of a homoeopath.

92463 72625 (mobile)

drvenugopal@gmail.com

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