Teen Health Issues for Boys

Teenagers and parents today are faced with several health issues. And although you don’t hear about them, teen health issues for boys are just as common as they are for girls although they differ in the types of issues they face. Helping your teen through these tough years and supporting them through this stage of life is the best way to get them through it. Here are just a few health issues that teen boys deal with during the adolescent stage.

Dealing with Stress

While all teens have to deal with stress, adolescent boys feel somewhat more stress as they get into the later stages of the adolescent years. Academics plays a big part of this stress as they know that college is getting closer and grades begin to matter. As boys who will eventually support themselves and a family, they can experience large amounts of stress trying to get the grades to get into a good college and earn a degree. There is also a large amount of stress placed on boys, especially when it comes to dating. From simply gaining the courage to ask a girl out to dealing with peer pressure of going farther than they want with a girl, stress levels in teen boys can reach extreme levels at certain times during the adolescent years. As a parent here’s how you can help them deal with rising stress levels:

• Make yourself available to them. If you’re not around to talk about issues that come up you can’t help them. You might have to specifically take time out of your week to just spend with them.
• Help them find opportunities to escape from the everyday. Show them the benefits of exercise; jogging, weight lifting, or just going for a walk. Physical activity is a great way to relieve high and low levels of stress. Help them find a hobby where they can escape from everyday life.
• Help them find a sense of humor. Laughter is one of the best medicines for stress and without a sense of humor, stress levels just get higher and higher. Encourage them to go out with friends on the weekends to the movies to relax a little.
• Help them build their confidence by finding things they can excel at and help them focus on the positive.

Dealing with Acne

Of course your teen wouldn’t be a normal kid if they didn’t have to deal with acne. Acne is the bane of a teen’s existence but everyone has to go through it. That’s what makes adolescent years what they really are. Teaching your teen how to deal with it and helping them find solutions and work through it is a parent’s job. Here are some simple tips to helping your teen prevent acne, or at least keep it at a minimum:

• Develop a hygiene routine specifically designed to keep acne at bay. Make sure they understand the importance of washing their face in the morning and at night and taking regular showers to keep themselves clean.
• Take them shopping with you to find a product they like to use. Over the counter washes and treatments do a good job keeping your face free from bacteria. If those don’t work you can try seeing a dermatologist.
• Eating healthy is also an important step to teach during the teen years. Although eating unhealthy foods is not directly correlated to acne, it can’t do any harm in teaching them healthy eating habits.

There are several other issues that teenaged boys deal with during the adolescent years, these are just a couple of things to be aware of as your child becomes a teen. Teen health issues for boys are real and they’re just as prevalent as teenage girls so don’t try and ignore them