Hi Everybody!

I recently I met a young man in my practice that had stopped playing football due to his acne breakouts.  He was so embarrassed by his bad skin that he'd stopped any activities outside of school and church.  "Larry" came to see me, depressed, anxious and desperate about his skin and the impact his acne was having on his social life.  He also felt that the skin abrasion that is so much a part of football was aggravating his condition.

Larry is only fifteen, and I felt he was far too young to be jeopardizing his sporting career (he's a pretty good athlete), his social life and his self-image.  As I listened to this young man talk, my heart went out to him.  Acne really can be so unfair! I realized that he must not be the only young boy who had let go of his life due to shame and embarrassment.

A recent study conducted by the University of Bath (U.K.) and published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that when a boy or girl with acne is very anxious about their skin they tend to avoid sport and exercise.  But that's not all!  They also felt that others were frowning on their skin condition and this made them lack self confidence.  This was true for boys and girls alike.  Researchers refer to this feeling of inadequacy as "dermatological social anxiety". 

Are you avoiding sports and/or exercise due to teenage acne?  Please feel free to open your hearts in the comments section.  I know that Larry would like to know that he's not alone and so would many others.

Yours, in hope

Johanna