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12/18/2007: "Bonding With My Teenage Son"
Well, Nick recently turned 13 and with it came a teenage rite of passage - yep, the dreaded acne. So we started him on a ritual of cleansing his face and using some medication when necessary. About the same time, I started on a new drug called Erbitux, which has the side effect of acne. Yes, that is my nose! So I too have to heed my own advise and go through the cleansing and medication rituals.
We all know that it is difficult to “connect” with our teenage kids. It seems like a time when we have so little in common. So I look at this as a chance to bond with my son. We can compare zits and stories about how people stared at our face and young children pointed fingers and ran.
Certain drugs, including androgens, lithium, and barbiturates, are known to cause acne. But the main cause is a change in hormone levels like that which a boy goes through during puberty. The sebaceous glands below the follicle normally makes oil called sebum. This empties onto the skin surface. Acne results from a change in the inner lining of the follicle preventing the sebum from passing through. Cells from the lining of the follicle are shed too fast and clump together. The clumped cells plug up the follicle's opening so sebum cannot reach the surface of the skin.
I have dealt with all types of chemotherapy side effects during the four different courses that I have gone through. Some of them have made me sick or put me in chronic pain. So this one seems small and this too will pass. However, like most teenagers, it is a little embarrassing to be in public or have my picture taken theses days.
