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Is beauty just skin deep? Maybe not. Investigations have confirmed that acne can lead to social anxiety and social withdrawal, especially in young people.

My friend, for example, has a teenaged son with acne problems. His acne is mild but people made fun of him all the time. Even friends he has had since elementary school had started teasing him.

At first he just shrugged it off, but then it started to get to him. He started missing parties, school functions and football games. He even stopped going to club meetings.

She finally confessed to me that the teasing and joking were making him a bit insecure. He had started hating the way he looked and tried to stay away from situations where he could be judged or made fun of.

When he started not going out, his parents started to worry. He used to be a very sociable boy and the life of the party. Now he would just lock himself in his room for hours.

They finally decided to take him to a therapist. The therapist diagnosed him with an anxiety disorder derived from the teasing due to his acne problems.

I was completely stunned. Teenagers and acne go together like peanut butter and jelly. I always just thought that, at most, you could get embarrassed or mad, but I never thought it could get this bad.

Dealing with the Physical and Psychological Problems that Accompany Acne

To treat his anxiety, he started going to weekly sessions with a therapist. In therapy, he has started to learn how to deal with his self-image issues. All of the times he was teased or laughed at, his self esteem would torn down just a little, and now it was time for him to build up his self esteem and the image he had of himself.

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

His skin routine has been a big step towards regaining his self confidence. He still has some minor breakouts, but he can control them both physically and psychologically.

Remember that acne leads to greater problems that just physical scarring. So think twice before teasing someone about their acne problems.