Effective acne treatment

My 17 ­ year ­ old son has acne and we have tried every home remedy, but it has not helped. It has now started to negatively affect his self ­ confidence. Please give me some advice.

Acne is a skin condition that occurs when the hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells, usually appearing most prominently on the face, forehead, chest, upper back, and shoulder areas.

It can cause whiteheads, blackheads or pimples and is most common amongst teenagers, though it can affect people of all ages. Hormonal changes such as puberty and menopause, certain medications, diet, and stress are some of the main factors that can cause the initial outbreaks.

Effective acne treatments are available, but acne can be persistent. The pimples and bumps heal slowly, and when one begins to go away, others seem to crop up. Depending on its severity, acne can cause emotional dis­

Appointments tress, be the cause of bullying and leave prominent scarring to the skin. The earlier the treatment is started, the lower the risk of such problems. Some acnes can even be treated with specialised aesthetic treatments such as Platelet Rich Plasma ( PRP ) or mesotherapy.

Seek medical advice, they can advise on skin care and prescribe medication if necessary. Helping him to get his acne under control should in turn help positively improve his self­confidence.

THERE’S no age limit for yoga.

Children can start at age five and some will enjoy it so much they continue through adulthood, and then as senior citizens for as long as their bodies and health permit.

But what about those no longer in the first flush of youth who decide to take it up for the first time?

More and more of those who can only be described as elderly are putting on yoga pants and rolling out their mats each week, and medical experts increasingly agree that this is a good thing. Some studies have even linked yoga to an improvement in the readings that are obtained when monitoring cellular ageing.

Yoga can also bring positive changes to brain health, with a recent study finding that healthy seniors who practised Hatha yoga for

Myth busted

BREAKFAST, we’re told, is the most important meal of the day.

To the relief of those who prefer a quick coffee, some nutritionists are questioning this golden rule.

Studies which pronounce breakfast ­ eaters as healthier are frequently due to other factors including sleep patterns, they say.

This first meal is not vital for waking up or kickstarting the day, Dr Federica Amati, a nutrition scientist recently agreed.

“The body clock secretes the chemicals that help us wake up and get out of bed whether we have breakfast or not,” she maintained.

A 2019 British Medical Journal review also busted the myth that breakfast is a must for weight­loss and this has since been backed up by studies which found that not eating first thing in the morning could actually assist weight loss.