Related Lessons

Skin Care: Acne

• Health Education Standard 1:
  Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.
  1. explain the relationship between positive health behaviors and the prevention of injury, illness, disease, and premature death.
  8. describe how lifestyle, pathogens, family history, and other risk factors are related to the cause or prevention of disease and other health problems.
  
  
• Health Education Standard 2:
  Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid health information and health-promoting products and services.
  1. analyze the validity of health information, products, and services.
  2. demonstrate the ability to utilize resources from home, school, and community that provide valid health information.
  
  
• Health Education Standard 3:
  Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.
  1. explain the importance of assuming responsibility for personal health behaviors.
  4. demonstrate strategies to improve or maintain personal and family health.
  
  
• Health Education Standard 4:
  Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting and decision-making skills to enhance health.
  1. demonstrate the ability to apply a decision-making process to health issues and problems individually and collaboratively.
  4. apply strategies and skills needed to attain personal health goals.

• The Story Behind Acne student E-Sheet
  
  Note: There are three places on the E-Sheet where students can respond to questions online. As an alternative, we've provided those questions in printable formats as well.
  
  
  • You and Your Skin resource questions
    
  • Acne Myths resource questions
    
  • Your Pimple Knowledge lesson assessment questions
  
  
• Acne Questionnaire student sheet
  
• Your Pimple Knowledge teacher sheet

• As teenagers grow into adulthood, what kinds of body changes do they typically experience? Offer examples.
  
• As adults grow into old age, what kinds of body changes do they experience? Offer examples.

• What are some examples of body changes that we can control? Can’t control?
  
• What measures can people take to minimize the physical changes they experience as they age?
  
• Imagine a person who eats poorly and rarely bathes. What physical changes might he or she experience compared to someone who eats properly and practices good hygiene?
  
• What measures do you think you will take to control the physical changes you will face as you get older? Offer examples.
  
• What are some of the benefits of managing your health this way?
  
  (Accept all reasonable answers. Encourage students to elaborate on their responses.)

• Let's take a closer look at acne. What can you tell me about it?
  
• What do you think causes acne?
  
• Describe the kinds of physical changes that are common with acne (appearance, locations, scars, etc.)
  
• At what stage(s) of life does this change in the body typically occur? Do old people get pimples?
  
• What measures do people take to limit the spread of acne?
  
• What environmental factors contribute to it, if any?
  
  (Accept all reasonable answers. Encourage students to elaborate on their responses.)

• What does your skin do for you? (Your skin protects your organs, muscles, and bones. It protects you from germ exposure, regulates body temperature, enables you to feel sensations, and keeps your body fluids from evaporating.)
  
• How are the epidermis and subcutaneous tissue different? (The epidermis is the outer layer of skin. It produces melanin, gets oxygen and nutrients from lower layers of skin, and continually creates new skin cells to replace dead cells on the surface. Subcutaneous tissue is the lowest layer of skin. It is made up of fat and connective tissue that contains larger nerves and blood vessels. It also helps your body stay warm and protects your organs from impact.)
  
• What is melanin? In which layer of skin can it be found? (Melanin is a pigment found in the epidermis which determines skin color and the amount a person will tan or burn when exposed to the sun.)
  
• What is the best way to treat insect bites? (Avoid scratching the area if itchiness occurs. Use a cream or ointment to limit itchiness and protect the area from infection.)
  
• What is the best way to wash your face, with your hands or a towel? Why? (Using your hands is better because they are less abrasive to your skin than most towels.)
  
• What are some ways to keep you skin healthy? (You can keep you skin healthy by eating right, drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, avoiding tobacco, and using sunscreen regularly.)

• What measures did Grant take to control his acne problem? (He showered upwards of four times a day and refrained from eating foods thought to cause acne—chocolate, french fries, and greasy foods.)
  
• According to the article, what really causes acne? (Hormones and heredity cause acne.)
  
• Are young males or females more likely to have severe acne? (One study found that by a 3-to-2 ratio, young men are more likely than young women to have severe and long-lasting forms of acne.)
  
• What are blackheads? Whiteheads? Papules? Pustules? Nodules? (Mild forms of acne, blackheads are open comedones and whiteheads are closed comedones, both typically found on the face, neck, and upper body. Papules (red, inflamed spots), pustules (red pimples with white centers), and nodules (large, painful lumps) are more serious forms of acne that can result in scaring.)
  
• What other myths about acne are revealed in this article? (Experts suggest that waiting for their acne to go away is a bad idea. Sufferers should seek medical advice if concerned about the disorder.)
  
• What treatment is recommended for more difficult-to-severe cases of acne? (Prescription antibiotics, both topical and oral, have become the standard treatment for more advanced stages of acne.)
  
• What approach is suggested to help prevent the spread of acne? (One expert asserts, "a balanced diet, enough sleep and exercise, and regular washing are good for the complexion and general health but cannot prevent or cure acne.")

• What is sebum? How is it produced? (An oily substance produced by sebaceous glands, sebum seeps onto the surface of the skin through openings in hair follicles.)
  
• What is the pilosebaceous unit? (A pilosebaceous unit is comprised of the hair follicle and sebaceous glands surrounding it.)

• What is acne? (Acne is a disorder of the skin's sebaceous glands that results in clogged pores and lesions, commonly called pimples and zits.)
  
• Where does acne occur? (Acne tends to appear on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders.)
  
• What causes a pimple to burst? (A pimple occurs when sebum is unable to pass through a hair follicle. Skin cells that line the follicle become mixed with the sebum, which causes bacteria to grow in the plugged area. When the follicle can no longer hold its contents, this mixture bursts out onto the skin surface.)
  
• In what age range does acne most often occur? At what age does it usually clear up? (Acne is most common with adolescents. Nearly 85% of people between 12 and 24 develop acne. Acne tends to clear up when people reach their 30s, while some continue to have acne in their 40s and 50s.)

• What are the main factors that cause acne? (Doctors believe acne results mostly from high hormone levels and heredity.)
  
• What are androgens? What role do they play in causing acne? (Androgens are male sex hormones that increase in both boys and girls during puberty. More androgens lead to enlarged sebaceous glands, which means more sebum is made.)
  
• How do hormone changes in girls influence acne development? (Hormone levels in girls and women may cause worse acne 2–7 days before their menstrual cycle begins. Acne may become worse when women start or stop taking pregnancy pills.)
  
• What other factors can cause an outbreak? (Other factors that can make acne worse include: stress, wearing greasy makeup, exposure to environmental irritants, taking certain medications, and squeezing or irritating an already infected area of skin.)

• What are comedones? (Comedones are enlarged hair follicles plugged with oil and bacteria.)
  
• What is the difference between whiteheads and blackheads? (Whiteheads are closed comedones under the skin. They usually look like small, whitish bumps on the skin's surface. Blackheads are black-colored comedones that reach the surface of the skin and open up.)
  
• What are cysts? (Cysts are deep, inflamed, pus-filled lesions that can cause pain and scarring.)

• What type of doctor specializes in diseases and disorders of the skin? (Dermatologists.)
  
• What are the goals of acne treatment? (The goals are to prevent scarring, reduce lesion occurrence, and minimize embarrassment caused by acne.)
  
• How do acne medications work? (Acne medications work to reduce clumps of cells in hair follicles, oil production, bacteria, and inflammation.)
  
• What side effects can acne medication cause? (Side effects may include skin irritation, burning, or redness.)
  
• What is isotretinoin? What other treatments for acne are available? (Isotretinoin is an expensive oral drug used to treat severe acne when other acne medications do not work. Other treatments include low-dose corticosteroids, hormonal treatment, anti-androgen drugs, comedone removal, steroid injections, skin peeling therapy, and cosmetic surgery.)

• What approach is recommended for washing your skin? (People with acne should wash their skin with a mild cleanser once in the morning and once in the evening. It is important to avoid scrubbing the skin, as acne can get worse. Washing after exercise and showering regularly are also recommended.)
  
• What is suggested about touching or squeezing blemishes? (People with acne should not touch their skin very often. Squeezing, pinching, or picking blemishes can lead to scarring.)
  
• What effect can tanning have on your skin in general? (Sun tanning can damage skin, promote aging, and cause skin cancer.)
  
• What is important to remember about cosmetics and hair products? (It is important to choose cosmetics carefully. All cosmetics should be oil free and applied with care. To avoid blemishes, only hair products labeled "non-comedogenic" should be used.)

• Sanitation and Human Health
  
• Microbes 1: What's Bugging You?

• What's a Scab? details all one could ever want to know about scabs
  
• The Story on Scars talks about scars
  
• What are Wrinkles? discusses how we get wrinkles
  
• Help with Hives looks at what causes hives
  
• Blisters, Calluses, and Corns discusses how we get these ailments

Created :02/14/2005