For most teenagers, the teen years are the toughest years of their life. When you are a teenager, your mind and body is changing and maturing. This can be frustrating and confusing.


All teenagers suffer from various physical and emotional changes and teenage health problems at this time. It is important to give teenagers patience and emotional support during these difficult years. Many teenage health problems can be avoided if the teens in question are educated, supported and encouraged during this difficult time.


Puberty brings along a number of teenage health problems. The most common teenage health problems that teenagers have to deal with at this time are teen sex issues (safe sex, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion and so on), mood swings and acne. Acne is one of the most common problems teenagers complain of.  Hormonal changes at this time could lead to an oily skin and this results in pimples and acne. Teen acne can appear on the face, shoulders and even the back. For a teenager, there is nothing more horrifying that suddenly waking up and seeing a pimple on their face! However, there is teenage acne treatment which can help alleviate this problem. The first thing to remember is not to squeeze that pimple. The resulting puss (which is full of bacteria) will now cover the area around the pimple which can cause more blemishes to crop up. Eating spicy and oily foods is believed by some to trigger off acne as well. Teenagers should eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water as these can naturally help to deal with the problems of acne. The truth though is that there is no agreement over the real causes of acne, but it would help to be cautious.

Some other common teenage diseases during this time include appendicitis, glandular fever, inguinal fever, epileptic attacks, Mycoplasma pneumonia , menstrual related problems, eating disorders, sexually transmitted diseases ( like genital herpes) and so on. Teenage health problems also encompass teenage obesity. One of the offshoots of eating disorders faced by teens these days is teenage obesity. Obesity is a condition where body fat has accumulated to extremely healthy levels. This causes changes in the quality of life of an individual and particularly, when that individual is a teenager. One of the main causes of teenage obesity is the junk food teenagers eat. These foods are rich in fats, oils and cholesterol. The next factor is the lack of physical exercise. This is also one of the biggest causes of teenage obesity. Nowadays, teenagers have become couch potatoes. They spend most of their time in front of the television, or on the cell phone or at the computer. There is no interest in any extra curricular activities or games after school. Genetic patterns and family behavior, lower metabolism, chemical or hormonal imbalances are other cause of teenage obesity. Dangers of teen obesity include:-

• Social discrimination – this results in lowered self esteem

• High blood pressure levels

• Increased danger of heart diseases

• Possibility of getting Type 2 diabetes

• High cholesterol levels

Ensure that a teenager gets enough exercise and eats a balanced diet help. This helps to prevent teenage obesity and variety of other diseases.