Mission

The mission of Clear Up Skin Care is to provide an educational outreach program to middle and high school students about the physical and emotional effects of acne, how to achieve a clear and healthy complexion, and useful techniques to develop and increase self-esteem.

Clear Up Skin Care is a California not-for-profit public benefit corporation that was founded in January 2002 by Debi Byrnes, who also serves as its Executive Director.

Needs Statement

Acne vulgaris, a disease of the sebaceous follicles, is one of the most common dermatological problems. Acne affects at least 85% of teenagers in the U. S. regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender. [1]

What Sulzberger and Zaidems said in 1948 is still true today: "There is no single condition which causes more psychic trauma, more maladjustment between parent and children, more general insecurity and feelings of inferiority . . . than does acne vulgaris." [2] A study of 317 pupils between 14 to 16 years of age found that the 50% of participants with moderate to severe acne had higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties. [3]

The following comments from a student in the Clear Up Skin Care program indicate the impact acne can have on the life of a 7^th grader. When asked for a dream that she has, she wrote: "My dream is to have a clear face with no acne." When asked what kinds of things she will do when she no longer has the problem, her response was "I will be more happy and maybe people will like me."

Currently there is a total lack of information available to youth about skin care and acne prevention in the public school health curriculum. Ms. Venus Lindo, a counselor at Madison Middle School states "The Clear Up Skin Care program is a beneficial experience for early adolescents. They are able to obtain information they would not get any other way."

The goal of Clear Up Skin Care is to increase teenagers' awareness and knowledge about how to have clear, healthy skin that is free from acne and how to feel good about who they are. During our presentations they have an opportunity to learn that most young people experience acne at some time and that they are not alone. They also attain the understanding that many successful people, including actors and musicians, have experienced acne. They learn that they don't have to be perfect to succeed in life; that who they are inside is what is most valuable and is what will come across to others. We accomplish this goal by providing teenagers with practical, reliable, and easy-to-understand information about acne, skin care, and self-esteem in a participative and fun way.