Hello Everybody!

This post is somewhat serious, but I feel we all need to be very aware of the severe impacts than teen acne can have on lives and families. 

The internet is littered with joke websites and there are even jokes about acne. 

While some jokes are definitely in bad taste and cruel, it is nonetheless helpful to keep an open mind and calm attitude- even when others might be making fun of you.  Take this example:  

Early last year,  a14 year old Mexican teen killed a 4-year-old girl because her father made fun of his acne.  According to Mexican prosecutors  Yurani Yuliec Garcia Organes was killed on March 16 in Zihuatanejo. 

The child and her father lived near the boy.  The girl’s father had called the teen boy "graniento," or "zit-face."

The boy said he was angry and resentful and that taking the girl’s life had been a revenge attack- so said state prosecutor Loyo Malabar.  The boy hit the girl twice with his hands and suffocated her by placing his foot on her neck. 

He then wrapped her body in plastic bags and hid it in his house for two days. 

He eventually dumped the body outside her grandparents' home.  They discovered it the next day.  Prior to this incident the boy had allegedly been showing signs of problematic behavior. 

The girl’s father said he hadn’t mocked the boy, but had recommended a cream he might use to help with his acne.  The boy was sent to a juvenile center and will only be granted a trial when he is 18.

I know this story is rather somber, but I feel teen acne is sometimes not taken seriously enough.  You might not feel like this boy or if you’re a parent your child may not be deeply disturbed by his/her acne problem. 

How sure are you about how well he/she is coping?  Make sure your child keeps a light heart about his skin problem and understands that even when others make fun of him, it does not define him/her.

Love and Hope

Johanna