My son turns 11 this year and I have seen an increase in facial acne. His farther had horrible acne and suffered a lot of embarrassment in school because of it. I have talked with my husband on more than one occasion about this and we both agree that with some simple preventative steps we can reduce a lot of the acne that my husband saw as an adolescent. In speaking with my husband it was clear that his parents never took the time to teach him proper hygiene techniques. Back in that day it didn’t matter if your face was clear or your teeth were white or even if your eye brows were waxed.

Don’t get me wrong, we will not teach him the styles of what some call a “metro sexual”, just some basic tips to keep his face clear. I was amazed that my husbands parents never made him wash his face nightly, or keep his greasy and filthy hands (from being a boy) away from his face. As a young boy he would go to bed without cleaning up and then sleep on his hand, hand to face, all night long. To me that seems like a breeding ground for dirt to clog up your pours. None the less, just like with every thing else, prevention comes with knowledge. We are prepared to give that to our son, and we’ll hope for the best.