Is beauty just skin deep? Maybe not. Investigations have confirmed that acne can lead to anxiety disorders like social phobia and 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 life long friend 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.

His mother finally confided in me that the teasing and joking were making him a bit insecure. He had started hating the way he looked and tried to steer clear of 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 outgoing 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 diagnosis was an anxiety disorder brought on by the teasing because of his acne.

I was totally shocked. Teenagers and acne go together like peanut butter and jelly. I never thought a teenager could develop such a serious condition because of acne.

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 deals with his self-image problems. All of the times he was teased or laughed at, his self esteem would collapse just a little, and now it was time for him to reconstruct his self esteem and the image he had of himself.

His therapist also advised him to 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 his skin clear up 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.

So next time you think about teasing someone with acne, remember that the problems that come with.