Selene Yeager - Whats with My Body?: The Girls Book of Answers to Growing Up, Looking Good, and Feeling Great

Copyright 2002 by Prima Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from Random House, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
www.crownpublishing.com

THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, in 2002.

Interior illustrations by Laurie Baker-McNeile.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yeager, Selene.
Whats with my body? : the girls book of answers to growing up, looking good, and feeling great / Selene Yeager.
p. cm.
1. Teenage girlsGrowth. 2. Teenage girlsPhysiology. 3. Teenage girlsHealth and hygiene. 4. Sex instruction for girls. I. Title.
RJ144.Y43 2002
613.904243dc21 2002070380

eISBN: 978-0-307-78449-0

v3.1

For Juniper.
May you grow up happy, healthy, and strong.

Thanks to my husband, Dave, for his undying support; the great girls who breathed life into the text: Samantha, Britany, Ashlyn, Julie, Melissa, Chris, Christie, Liz, Tara, and Kortni; and to Michelle, Denise, and Alice for giving me the opportunity to work on this important (yet fun) project, and for their support in bringing it through to fruition.

If youre reading this book, youre going through one of the most exciting, confusing, and ever-changing times of your life. Almost every day you wake up, youre facing something new. Your feet have grown. You notice hair where you never had it before. Suddenly youre stressing about tampons and pads. Its a lot to handle, and though the adults in your life are there to help, its not always easy for you to ask questionsor for them to give you all the answers you need. (Remember, its been a long time since they went through puberty!) Thats where this book comes in.

Weve taken hundreds of the most commonly asked questions from girls just like you and have gone straight to the best experts in the country to get no-nonsense answers. No question was too embarrassing and every answer is direct, with subjects ranging from your first period and sexual development to tattoos and piercings. You name it, weve covered it. This book isnt designed to replace the important adults in your life, of course, but rather to give you a little education so all these sensitive, tricky topics are easier to talk about.

And about those adults in your life: Youll notice that we talk a lot about parents and mom and dad, like when we suggest you talk to mom and dad before running off to get your tongue pierced. We recognize, of course, that not everyone has both their biological parents at home, and that families come in all shapes and sizes, with stepmoms and stepdads, aunts and uncles, godparents, foster parents, older siblings, grandparents, and single parents. When we refer to your family, we mean any important adult you have in your life at home. Now, on with the book! And best of luck on your journey growing up!

W hen it comes to zits, theres one thing you have to know: Though you feel totally alone with your blemishes, everyone and her sister gets them. Almost 100 percent of teens and preteens will sprout blackheads and pimples at this time of life. But just because youve hit puberty doesnt mean you cant put your best face forward! That same increase in oils that can contribute to pimples also gives your complexion a healthy shimmer and a rosy glow. Here are the answers you need for keeping your face clean, clear, and healthy.

I havent noticed any pimples yet.

Samantha, 9

Q. What is acne anyway?

A. Acne is an umbrella term doctors use for skin problems caused by clogged or inflamed pores. Lean your face way close to a mirror and youll see the tiny holes we call poresthe opening to hair follicles. You have pores all over your body. Some have hair growing out of them; others obviously dont. Below the surface where you cant see, these pores contain sebaceous (pronounced se-BAY-shis) glands, which produce an oil called sebum (SEE-bum) that keeps your skin and hair moist and healthy. Sebum also carries away dead skin cells from inside your pores. Sebaceous glands are especially concentrated on your face, neck, chest, and backnot coincidentally, where acne strikes most often! When pores become blocked with oil and dead skin cells, you get one of three types of acne:

Q. Why do I suddenly have acne now?

A. Puberty, baby. Your body pumps out mega-amounts of hormones to help you grow breasts and become capable of having babies. Along with the flood of female hormones are some predominantly male hormones, like androgens. Androgens stimulate oil production, so your sebaceous glands, which have been functioning just fine until recently, are now gushing like miniature oil wells. All that oil combined with the dead skin cells youre shedding sets the stage for plenty of pimples. And if your mom or dad had bad acne when they were your age, you might too, because acne can run in families. You might also notice that your breakouts happen more before your period. Thats because your body produces more oil-stimulating hormones during that time.