Care of Your Children
ACNE seems to be an affliction of adolescence, although it sometimes does make an appearance before that time. The great majority of sufferers are at the age of puberty when they break out in the eruption of pus-producing pimple on the face and neck that we know as acne.The disease attacks both healthy and frail children, boys and girls alike. At times it seems to have a preference for the more athletic types. The disease is definitely connected with the development of sex, because older people do not have it, nor do undersexed individuals.
We think that heredity plays a part in acne, for some families number amongst their characteristics an oily skin and these are the ones most often attacked by acne. I myself have treated girls or boys for the trouble and then, years later. I’ve treated their children for the same thing.The actual cause of acne is obscure, as have said here before. Some researchers believe it is due to an upsetting of the glandular system, others think bacteria are responsible, and still others blame it on some food to which the victim is allergic. Treating acne is an experimental business. What will clear up the complaint in one person won’t budge another. No one treatment will clear up every case. Glandular substances have been used extensively and show limited success. They seem, for instance, to alleviate the disfigurement of the face, but don’t appear to remove the underlying cause. When treatment is discontinued, they break out again. These glandular treatments must be carried out with great care lest they create an abnormality in some other part of the system.
X-rays appear to have the same effect on acne as do the glandular treatments. By that, I mean that with either X-rays or gland preparations, there is a limited improvement in the boy, or girl But treatment by both X-rays and glandular preparations give no better result than when only one is tried. They simply duplicate each other’s work. Diet adjustments may bring improvement but this is a .treatment that must be studied carefully by your doctor. If the patient is strong and robust, it is often well to cut down on the use of dairy products, chocolate, fried foods, nuts, duck and goose. These products contain a fat radical definitely connected with outbreaks of acne. However, the removal of these foods from the diet of a trail, or undernourished person may be dangerous. Hence the need for having the doctor’s supervision in such treatment Condiments and spices of all kinds should be discontinued by anyone suffering from acne.
It is this fact that food seems to have something to do with acne that has led some doctors to think that it is a form of food allergy. Pimple pills are still being sold as cures for ache. Most of these are actually harmful and should be avoided. In almost all cases, they contain iodine, and that is one substance the acne patient is, particularly advised to avoid. Even minute quantities in iodized table salt may be harmful. Bowels should be kept open by diet, not harmful laxatives. Vitamin B, which can be obtained in tablet form is helpful. So is vitamin D, from sunshine or cod liver oil. Cleansing creams with an oil or fatty base shouldn’t be used. Common sulphur soap or a mild mercurial soap, is advisable when washing.
Remember, if your doctor doesn’t cure you with the first try, don’t get discouraged. Don’t lose faith in him for no treatment is effective in every case of acne. The most general beneficial treatment is X-rays, but whatever your doctor tries, stay with him. It won’t take him very long to hit on the treatment that will relieve your acne.
