Welcome to the confusing world of teens, where your daughter is an indulgent child one minute, and a rebellious teenager the next. But take heart - it's just a phase that needs to run its course before things get steady again.

Acne: Great Source of Angst

No teenager can handle a zit with elan. Zits aren't "cool". A single pimple has the power to drain the colour off their face, rob the world of all its beauty, make clear-skinned friends mortal enemies, and convince them that they have lost their heartthrob forever. It wields a lot of power!

Ways to Deal With Teen Angst

Two factors control acne: hormones and heredity.

Hormonal changes lead to greater oil secretion. Ordinarily the oil escapes but if the pore is blocked a blackhead is formed. This could develop into a pimple.

But you must remind your child that there is life beyond it. The first thing to understand is that acne affects 90 percent teenagers. So tell her to "chill" (stress aggravates it).

The second is that acne is self-limiting; with time it will subside, provided she follows the golden rules: keep her hair and skin clean, stress levels low, drink 10-12 glasses of water in summer and keep her hands off her face!

Experts recommend using a light, non-medicated face wash twice a day, and splashing water on the face three to four times in summer, and twice in winter.

Also she should avoid over cleaning - aggressive washing and medicated face washes (they over-dry the skin causing greater oil secretion and more pimples).

Other no-nos are oil-heavy creams, lotions, homemade potions and scrubs on an active acne-prone skin.

Get her a bottle of calamine lotion: it's a good sunscreen and helps dry up zits too. If nothing works and she ends up with too many pimples, take her to see a dermatologist.

Also, though she might already know it, remind her never to burst a zit.