Teenage Health

This page is aimed at certain aspects of Teenage Health. There is, of course, a degree of overlap between what applies to teenagers, men, and women, so please also see our General Heath Page, and the pages on Men's Health, Women's Health, and Children's Health. At all the surgeries the Nurses run Teenage Clinics, and they would be happy to discuss any of these issues if you come to see them.

The Teenage Years

Whilst for some this can be a difficult time for parents and children, for many it can be an exciting and rewarding time. A time of discovery, development and changes. During this phase people still need adequate amounts of sleep, should still have fruit and vegetables, have some regular exercise and try to avoid starting smoking.

Acne

This can be a common and difficult problem at this age, often reaching its peak at the age of 17 - 21 years. Most people can expect it to be clear by the age of 25, so it is not confined to teenagers. Acne tends to start in the teens as it is due to a response of the sebaceous (grease) glands to sex hormones. These usually therefore start at the same time as puberty. Acne is NOT caused by lack of hygiene, as the bacteria that tend to cause it live on the skin of most people anyway.

If acne is bad and not treated it can lead to permanent scarring and so it is important to seek medical advice if you feel that your acne is not getting better. There are several treatments for Acne, some of which you can get over the counter in the chemist, and some of which will need a prescription.

There are topical treatments, and these often contain benzoyl peroxide. If this does not work, then your Doctor may well try a topical antibiotic. If this still does not work then you may need to take some antibiotic tablets. You may need to be on these for several months, depending on how well your skin responds.

Alcohol

Alcohol is often first drunk at this age. There are a  lot of problems associated with this and some people may not realise how much they are drinking. The recent popularity of the so-called Alcopops has compounded the problems as they tend to look and taste like soft, fizzy drinks. There is also some concern that they do not taste like an alcoholic drink, and yet they are as strong (if not stronger than) beer. As a result of this the manufactures have now made some changes to the labels and they have tried to make it more clear what is in the drinks, as some people were finding it hard to distinguish between alcoholic ones and non-alcoholic ones.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

STD's are commonly first encountered at this age, and so there are a few tips below to help you try and avoid this. This list is not exhaustive, and so if you have any doubts or worries about this then we would urge you to seek professional advice. You can either go to your own Doctor or to the GUM (Genito-Urinary Medicine) clinic.

• The most important thing to do is to use a condom, even if you do not need to from the contraceptive point. They reduce the risk of catching diseases.

• If you are going our for the night then make sure you have some condoms with you, before you have a few drinks, as you are more likey to not remember after that.

• If you have an STD then get it treated before having further sex as this will reduce the risk of spreading it to other people.

• If you are worried about STD's or think you may have one then please go to the GUM clinic. They will not think that you are wasting their time, and they will be happy to offer you any appropriate tests and some advice.