BBC 6分钟英语 长痘痘

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learning english com. Hello. This is six minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil and I'm Beth. As a society, were obsessed with our skin.

But the pursuit of perfect skin can make life difficult for people who struggle with skin conditions, spots, zits

or pimples. There are many names for the red inflamed marks which appear on the face and neck, but the medical term is acne.

Acne is a skin condition which can affect anyone.

It often happens between the ages of 14 and 19, but can continue into adulthood.

There are many types of acne, from black heads and white heads to more severe forms of sists and scarring.

But whatever the type of acne, looking different from others can be emotionally damaging, especially during the teenage years, when our own image and physical appearance are changing.

In this program, will be hearing from a skin doctor or dermatologist who suffered acne herself.

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too.

But 1st, I have a question for you.

Best. Mild or moderate acne is very common in teenagers and young adults.

So according to the UKS National Health Service, what proportion of people aged eleven to 30 experience some amount of acne?

Is it A 75 %? B 85% or C 95 %?

Oh, I'm going to guess that it is C 95 %.

OK, beth, we'll find out if that's the correct answer at the end of the program.

Doctor Sharon Crichlow is a dermatologist originally from Barbados.

As someone who grew up with acne, she understands the impact it can have on a person's mental health, as she explains here to BBC World Service Program.

The conversation Well, we know for sure that it does tend to arise from puberty onward, so the biggest cohort of patients is in the teenage age group, however, a proportion of of patients, up to 20 or so percent, certainly in females.

It will persist well into the thirtys forties, much longer than people often give it credit for.

And we also know that it has a huge psychological impact, so even mild to moderate acne, because it affects teenagers who are quite emotionally vulnerable.

It affects their friendships, their peer groups.

And so it should never really be trivialized.

Acne tends to start during puberty, the stage in peoples lives when they develop from a child into an adult.

Because of changes in their body, hormones such as testosterone, which are released into the body during puberty, often cause acne to appear.

Of course, puberty involves emotional as well as physical changes.

Acne can be harder to live with for someone who is emotionally vulnerable, meaning someone who gets their feelings hurt easily.

Acne affects your confidence and how you interact with the world, so it shouldn't be trivialized or made to seem less important than it really is.

At times, most teenagers are self conscious about their looks, and having acne adds to social pressure.

Acne is largely genetic, and the buildup of oil and bacteria in the paws of the skin, which causes spots, is due to hormones which are completely natural.

Here's Doctor Sharon Krychlow again telling BBC World Service Program the conversation, how her own experience with acne led her to help others with the same problem.

I didn't have the the luxury.

I've been able to see a dermatologist when I was younger.

My family simply couldn't afford it, so I had to get through it as best I could.

And you just, you know, tried everything over the counter, etc.

Um. And I just felt if I could help people with something that has been such a pain of my life, and having that inside experience as well.

So I would often tell my patients pretty much anything I recommend to them.

I've tried it myself. I can tell them it works.

Growing up, doctor Crichlow didn't have anyone to help her get through acne.

If you get through something, he managed to survive a difficult experience or challenging period of life.

Instead, she got whatever medicine she could buy without a doctor's prescription, known as over the counter medicines, from her local pharmacy.

Doctor Crichlow calls acne the bane of my life, an idiom, meaning the cause of unhappiness or misfortune.

But as she grew older and her acne improved, she used her experience to support her patience in the UK.

For most people, acne stops as they grow older.

But remember, it's completely natural, and you're not alone.

Which reminds me of my question, beth, what proportion of eleven to 30 year

olds get acne to some extent?

You said it was 95 %, which was the correct

answer. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with puberty, the stage of life when a person changes from a child to an adult, someone who is emotionally venerable has their feelings and emotions easily hurt.

The verb to trivialize means to make something seem less important than it really is.

If you get through it, you manage to survive a difficult experience or period of life.

Over the counter medicines can be bought in a shop without a doctor's prescription.

And finally, the idiom the bane of my life, refers to a source of persistent unhappiness or misfortune.

Once again, our 6 min are up, but remember to join us again next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 min English.

Bye for now. Bye. 6 min English from BBC learning english dot com.

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