Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-07-29

dCIOr Is not SO lInpOT ldnL, IL is
over their trouble much more
quickly if they have the benefit
of treatment individually pre-
scribed by the family doctor.
They should not be permitted to
go to school.
Though impetigo is the bane
of the lower grades, acne is the
disturbing in fl u e n C e to the
adolescent in High School. The
sebaceous glands and the hair
follicles associated with them on
the face, chest, and back, remain
dormant d uring g infancy and
childhood. This inactivity ends
during that turbulent transition
age b e tive en- childhood and
maturity, which we call ado
leScence, In ome youngsters
weakness in the hair raising
muscles make it difficult to
properly empty the waxy Sc
baceous material from these
glands, or the substance itself
becomes so thick that it stagnates
in the glands. This is the basis
of adolescent acne. Although the
condition is as frequent in boys
as in girls, it is really the school
girl complexion. Compilations
are notoriously worse at this
school girl age than at any
other.
The symptoms of acne consist
of all the elements that 60 to
make up bad complexion,
black heads, white h a d S,
p m p e S oily skin, dandruff,
stringy hair, vic ly dilated
pores, easy irritability of the
face, tendency to flush, the ap-
pearance of small, or sometimes
large, boilS, all taken singly or
together. When the disease has
lasted for some time there is
added various size depressions
or scars.
A black head is a waxy plug
of material which the skin has
been unable to push out When
the outer end becomes blackened
with contact with the air, it is
called a black head. 1t is not
an accumulation of dirt and is
not the result of poor washing
habits. This should be emphas-
lied because the elders RESPONSE
BILE for the care of these young
sters frequently accuse them of
laziness, under the impression
that blackheads are the result
of carelessness. A white head is
the same kind of a conglomera-
ton of sebaceous material, but
it is In a gland that has no duct.
1t remains white because no part
of it is exposed to the air. When
the pressure in one of these
glands that has no duct reaches
a certain point, inflammation
develops, then a dying off of
the skin gland. Pus forms and
this becomes a pimple.
Since the seat of acne is the
hair follicle and its associated
oil glands, the scalp is bound to
have symptoms and we find a
lot of oil in the hair that makes
the hair stringy and greasy and
gives it rancid odor. The scalp
becomes scaly due solely to the
skin changes and not to any ex-
traneous n e t j IN. An ado
leScent that gets into this kind
of a predicament needs medical
care and needs it badly. A
Doctor who will take the time
to treat acne carefully and who
can persuade a youngster and
his parents to follow his direc-
tions at home, can make
marked improvement in a teen
ager with this disabling illness.
One of the important things in
the treatment is, do no look into
a mirror Youngsters with acne
have habit of keeping their
hands in their faces most of the
time. They get so that they like
to squeeze black heads. Squeez-
ing blackheads leads to the
formation of scars and the ban
on looking into a mirror must
be maintained until the habit of
picking at the face is broken. In
addition to such treatment as the
Doctor may prescribe, frequent
of the sclap and hair,
and the face and other affected
parts, is necessary. Though most
Doctors will p er m t powder,
rouge and lipstick, they almost
Universally ban powder bases,
foundation creams and t h o e
cosmetic preparations that mask
Or cover up the defects. They
only lead to more trouble. Acne
is one skin disease where indi-
treatment is neces-
'ary. Your Doctor may consider
treatment of some of
he LESSONS, X-rays, or a change
n diet. But no matter what he
orescribes, follow it carefully
or so long as he deems neces-
iary. Don't worry too much
lbout the mental phase of acne.
Youngsters with a face full of
,imples take an awful beating
rom their companions The best
reatment for this is to clear up
he acne as quickly as possible
md let nature take its course.
We have touched only a few
Ugh spots in considering things
hat can happen TO skin. Wei