Is your Doctor Treating Acne when He Should Be Treating Steroid Abuse?

Anabolic steroids may be all the rage-literally. Uncontrollable anger and rage are just two of the side effects of the use and abuse of anabolic steroid use.

Steroids act in a similar way to testosterone and these days are also used to treat those who have problems gaining and retaining weight and muscle mass such as people with AIDS or other muscle disorders.

Sadly, these drugs are also popular amongst some professional athletes, Hollywood stars and other celebrities and since teens are intelligent but impressionable if they see a popular figure taking them and looking good they may be tempted to try them.

The unfortunate thing about steroids is that they have many positive effects, at least initially. They increase muscle mass and strength, endurance and stamina. These effects may be very addictive to the teen with low self-esteem.

With prolonged use, however, steroids cause many serious physical side effects as well as mental changes like suicidal behavior, severe depression, and rage-commonly known as “roid rage”.

Many of the effects are irreversible and this is why it’s so important that you talk to your teen about the dangers of steroid use. But which teens are at risk? Any teen that participates in sports like weight training and any sport where muscle mass, strength, speed and stamina are important at a school, club or professional level may be vulnerable. Teens that have poor self-image are particularly vulnerable as are those who are unrealistically competitive.

In young people suicide is already a significant risk-it’s the third leading cause of death among people aged 15-24. Steroid use will aggravate already existing mental disorders like depression and bipolar disorder as well as teenage acne-which already a significant risk factor for suicide during adolescence.

“It can be difficult to detect when adolescents or young athletes are using steroids, so parents and coaches need to know what to look for,” says Professor Brower, associate professor of psychiatry at University of Michigan Health System.

“One of the reasons it can be difficult is because some of the things that you see, such as mood swings, teenage acne and weight gain, are things that you would expect to see in adolescents.”

This makes it doubly important that parents of teens with acne, depression, bipolar disorder and suicidal behavior are very vigilant and ensure that their doctors are not treating acne or mental health problems when the real problem is steroid addiction and abuse.

While treatment for adult acne might be straightforward, with teens we always need to suspect other causes and eliminate these. The best treatment for adult acne will not help teens using steroids.

Parents should make sure to monitor their teens dietary habits, noting any severe or rigid dietary regimes coupled with intense training. An athlete may become obsessive about workout and food regimes.

If they are prevented or inhibited in these aims they may get increasingly irritable and angry. They may stop eating or sleeping or talk about suicide. Their peer group may include drug abusers.

The physical signs of steroid abuse are also very important. Some physical signs of steroid abuse include male pattern baldness, increased facial hair and deeper voice in girls, severe facial and back acne and oily skin.

There may also be injection sites on the body, particularly on the thighs, buttocks and shoulder. In boys the testicles may start to shrink and female organs may start to appear more masculine than feminine.

Often a teen may not tie these physical or mental health problems to his/her steroid use. They may for example seek facial and back acne treatment for severe acne or treatment for facial hair, and fail to seek treatment for their steroid abuse problem.

In fact, they probably don’t think they even have a problem! As we mentioned previously the drugs improve their performance and this might override their health concerns and/or perspective.

Professor Bower notes: “We like our sports heroes because they’re celebrities, they’re famous, they look well, they perform well,” Brower says. “And when that becomes associated with anabolic steroids, it adds to the positive image of steroids”.

The media has been vociferous about how common steroid use is amongst famous baseball players and this does not help a teen who may idolize the player and want to be just like him.

It may be hard for a teen to tie the image of a wealthy, healthy and famous player to serious effects of drugs. Sadly this is even further complicated by the fact that steroids are easy for teens to obtain!

If you think your teen may be using steroids or considering using them here are some facts you might want to share with him/her and his peer group:

Anabolic steroids can be addictive and may cause depression and rage. Physical effects might include: muscle and tendon tears, face and back acne, liver toxicity and damage, mood problems and anger/rage, shrinking testicles, impotence, decreased sperm count, larger breasts in men, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, male-pattern baldness in both sexes, jaundice and facial hair growth in women.

If you suspect your teen might be using steroids start by talking to him or her. Opening up a dialogue is vitally important and keeping it open might mean the difference between helping your teen and aggravating the problem. Let your teen know that you’re not judging him but want to help.

Point out the serious health risks, both physical and mental and provide some reading material or informative website addresses where more information can be obtained in private.

If your teen confesses to steroid use, then remind him that there is help for the problem. It is important to consult a medical professional in order to ascertain exactly what permanent physical damage if any has already occurred and which effects are likely to reverse after the drug is withdrawn.

Remember that teens need positive role models and should surround themselves with athletes that are competing at realistic levels. Providing support, love and information will help them heal.